Royal Halloween Hijinks
by theblindwriter95
Summary: A month after their mystery adventure, the families of Enchancia are invited to spend All Hallows' Eve in another kingdom only to be apart of a celebration filled with tricks and treats. Co written once again with Jolly Roger Brat.
1. Chapter 1

Royal Halloween Hijinks

Summary: A month after their mystery adventure, the families of Enchancia are invited to spend All Hallows' Eve in another kingdom only to be apart of a celebration filled with tricks and treats. Co written once again with Jolly Roger Brat.

Disclaimer: We don't own Sofia the First, just our characters! And If you haven't read The Mystery of the Missing Mementos, I (And I suppose Jolly Roger Brat) would recommend you read that before coming to this one.

Chapter One

"Auntie Madeline, why are we so high up?" Elena asked, her face turning green as one of her eight year old aunts gently held the back of her hair.

"Because the horsies need the air to fly," Madeline explained as Elena started to throw up. "And that's how we'll get to Sandra and Zoe's castle."

"Boat better!" Elena pouted, finishing her throwing up as Gabby noticed in concern how pale she was.

It had been a month since their mystery adventure and the two families of Enchancia were invited to celebrate All Hallows'' Eve in Orillia, making Gabby and Elena a little scared to celebrate a holiday away from their only home that they had ever known.

"You got Mommy's seasickness?" Gabby asked in concern.

"Gabby, we're not on a boat sweetie," Miranda said with a smile. "We're in a carriage."

"It's okay, Elena; I know this will be a new experience for you, but you've been to different places before," Bobby Lee said as he gave her a bottle of water to rinse her mouth out, followed by a hug.

"You'll like Orillia, Elena," Sabrina smiled. "Sandra's a great cook. And besides, she did mention she had a kitty."

Elena smiled. Zoe and Sandra had mentioned her cat Ambre, and she was eager to meet him. She was also interested in meeting their brother Ezekiel and his dachshund Spike.

Gabby, on the other hand, was leery of dogs. Zoe and Sandra offered to watch Spike while they were there, but the dog usually did pretty well when he was watched.

"Just remember, girls, don't take any food unless Sandra says it's okay!" Nell spoke up, recalling that Madeline and Sabrina had shared an apple Danish that was for one of the knights. However, Sandra had assured them that there were plenty of treats she'd made to go around, and this sort of thing happened all the time.

"We promise we'll be good, Nell," Madeline promised, Sabrina nodding at her side.

"Just in case, girls, we'll be keeping an eye on you!" Bianca spoke up, Florence nodding at her side.

"But not just the children Bianca, but we advise a certain young married couple not to, pardon me girls for my next few words, horseplay during our stay," Florence muttered, much to the embarrassment of her son and daughter in law. "Robert, I know that I've been wanting a grandchild or two from you but Helen with child is not something that I want after Hallows Eve."

"Mommy and Daddy can play with horsies if they want too!" Gabby pouted as Elena started to turn green again.

"No horsies please!" Elena pouted, starting to not like being up in the air.

"It's just a figure of speech, sweetheart," Florence smiled, rubbing her back like she used to with Bobby Lee whenever he got sick. "But I also heard about how your sister rode a horse when she wasn't supposed to. Hopefully she won't do that again?"

"No!" Gabby shook her head. She still remembered the flying horse from Amber's party where James had to do a daring (and horrifying to him!) midair rescue.

"I think think beside your eyes and face like her twin, Elena's inherited your things that move sickness. Except with flying carriage Helen," Bobby Lee softly chuckled as Nell glared at him.

"Just because I accidentally threw up on you when we were eight, doesn't mean that you have to bring it up!" Nell shouted, gently patting Elena's back as the little girl just wanted off the carriage and to lay down.

To Elena's relief, the carriage landed a few minutes later. Robert, Patricia, Zoe, and Sandra were there to greet them. "Welcome to Orillia," Robert smiled. "We're so glad you could come."

"Where's your kitty?" Elena asked Sandra, who to her amazement was wearing a big apron over her blouse and skirt.

"The last time I saw him, Ambre was in my room," Sandra replied as she wiped off the flour on her hands. "Sorry I'm late, Dad; I just pulled dessert and some of the refreshments you wanted out of the oven."

"Don't worry, Sandra; we knew some of your treats weren't ready yet and we told you to take your time," Robert assured her.

"Where's doggie?" Gabby asked, looking around nervously.

"Spike?" Sandra looked around just in time to see a long black blur rushing toward them. She grinned as James intercepted the dog, who jumped in his arms and started licking him in the face. "He's right here!"

Gabby hid behind Nell's skirt as Nell knelt down to her level, gathering her up in a hug.

"I don't like doggie Mommy," Gabby said, feeling tears in her eyes. "He's scary."

"Aw... Baby, you like little doggies don't you?" Nell asked with a smile as Gabby nodded her head.

"But I'm not Elena! She likes all animals!" Gabby pouted, seeing her sister pet Spike.

"Spike's not so bad once you get used to him," James assured her, carrying him over and letting him lick her hand.

"Can we see Sandra's kitty now?" Gabby asked.

"Sure," Sandra agreed as she took off her apron. "Ambre's in my room, but don't be upset if he runs away or hides. He's kind of skittish around strangers."

"You hear that, Elena Lydia? Be gentle around Ambre, just like you are around Snow White," Bianca murmured.

"Okay," Elena smiled. She turned to Sandra in excitement, jumping up and down. "Kitty now!"

"Elena gets happy around animals," Gabby explained as Elena flapped her hands. "That means she's super happy."

"Hand flaps?" Zoe wondered, confused with what Elena was doing. "You're used to it aren't you, Gabby?"

"It takes time to get used to," Gabby admitted.

"I don't mind Elena doing this, but don't let Zeke see it," Sandra whispered, seeing Elena flapping her hands. "He comments on everything, and if he sees Elena acting like this, he'll have a field day."

"He like Jack?" Gabby asked, thinking of the boy in the village who teased Elena.

"I don't know who Jack is, but he'll be sure to say something about this," Sandra whispered as Bianca tried to get Elena to calm down.

Elena groaned, gently being told to stop as Nell and Bianca knelt down beside her.

"Love Bug, we're used to what you do but some people, like Jack for example, won't understand," Nell explained with a smile.

"I bad girl?" Elena asked, starting to cry.

"No, baby, you're not bad at all," Bianca murmured. "It's just that here, in a new place, some people won't know what you're doing and they might say something."

"We know what you're doing, sweetheart, but other people might not," Florence agreed as she gave her a hug.

"Thank you Grand Mommy, Miss Bianca," Elena sniffed, burying her face in Florence's blouse.

"You're welcome sweetheart. You up for a kitty visit?" Bianca asked with a gentle smile.

"Kitty visit?" Elena asked in confusion.

The group paused outside Sandra's room. Sandra took her apron off and laid it in her hamper. She led the group inside, motioning for them not to get too close.

Elena smiled when she looked in the room. On the chair near Sandra's desk, a yellow tabby cat was curled up taking a nap. "Kitty!" she whispered.

"That's right. That's Ambre," Sandra nodded. "Let him come to us when he's ready, Elena. For now, let's let sleeping kitties lie."

"He was a girl first?" Gabby asked.

"What?" Bianca asked.

"How could he be a girl?" Florence asked.

"Because his name was Amber when I first adopted him," Sandra explained. "The royal vet proved me wrong, so I changed the name to Ambre, which is pronounced like the Spanish word hombre, which means male."

"Good thing we checked Snow White!" Bobby Lee recalled with a chuckle.

"And the talk about girls and boys afterwards," Nell lightly groaned as Elena and Gabby giggled.

"So what we do now?" Elena asked as they left the room.

"You have Mr. Magic Man here too?" Gabby asked.

"Who?" Zoe asked.

"Do you have a Royal Sorcerer or Sorceress here?" Nell explained.

"Oh! Yes we do," Sandra nodded. "Her name's Aleena, and her tower's right this way."

"She have pet like Mr. Magic Man's birdie?" Elena asked.

"Yes she does," Zoe nodded. "She has a phoenix who lives in her tower, and a Pegasus who lives in the royal stable."

"I've always wanted to see a phoenix," Nell smiled.

"Well, now all of you will get the chance," Sandra said as she and Zoe led the way to Aleena's tower.

"I'm sure she's probably festive about All Hallows' Eve! It's her favorite time of year!" Robert explained with a chuckle.

"It's Helena's favorite too. As children we often dressed up as a duo," Bobby Lee explained before hearing his wife sigh and slump her shoulders. "Helen, what is it?"

"I was just thinking of the All Hallows' Eve treats that Mama liked me helping her bake with and Papa's freshly cut marigolds alongside the berries he liked nice and cold that he and I often fought over the last one," Nell recalled nostalgically before she sighed. "The girls are older now and I just don't want them to think any less of me by doing old traditions that mean so much to me. I want them to know about their grandparents."

"I'm sure they'd love any traditions you tell them about," Bobby Lee assured her. "We can even start some new traditions with them."

"Like what?" Nell asked.

"Didn't you and Lydia bake all those treats when we were kids? I remember we had a Foreign Foods festival at school one year when we were kids, and you brought in an entire box of...what were they again? The rosettes!" Bobby Lee smiled at the memory.

"Oh yes. The rosettes," Bianca smiled. "Helen told me that the teacher told her that several of the older students came in the room and were helping themselves. Fortunately, there were several treats to go around."

"I still remember their reactions to finding out that a little kid made the treats that they like!" Nell laughed with a smile, gently patting Elena and Gabby on their backs. "Girls would you like to help me do something?"

"Is it yummy?" Elena asked with a giggle.

"Yes it's very yummy!" Bobby Lee laughed, picking her up.

"Spider bad!" Gabby wailed, hiding behind Sofia who chuckled.

"Gabby, it's just a toy spider," Sofia assured, gently taking off the stuffed spider from its web for her to see.

"Gabby, if you don't like spiders, take a look at all the cats," Sandra smiled, pointing toward some plush cats on the windowsills.

"Kitty!" Elena cheered. She looked up at Sandra. "You still have your kitty Fig?"

"Yes I do," Sandra smiled, "When he's not in my bag at fencing matches, he lives in my room on my bed. Do you still have your Kitty?"

"She wouldn't leave without her," Nell chuckled.

"Mommy, Kitty wanted to come! Sides she no like being without me," Elena muttered, snuggling Kitty close.

"You sure it's not the opposite?" A female voice chuckled with a smile as Elena looked up, seeing flower petals.

"Pretty!" Elena yelled, taking one of the petals for herself.

"Thank you, sweetie," the group looked up to see a girl around Nell's age behind them. She wore flowing turquoise robes and had her long blonde hair tied back. "I hope you don't mind that these are silk flowers; Princess Sandra's so sensitive when it comes to smells."

"Don't worry, Aleena," Sandra smiled back at Orillia's Royal Sorceress, "This way they last longer."

"That's true, Princess," Bianca agreed. "But are you all right with dried flowers?"

"I'm okay with dried flowers, but the real ones have always bothered me," Sandra replied.

"Why?" Elena asked.

"I don't really know; I just know that I've always felt that way about certain smells and loud sounds," Sandra explained.

"Like me?" Elena asked, looking ready to cry.

"Elena, I like when you're loud," Gabby muttered, hugging her sister close.

"I do like you, Elena," Sandra tried to explain, "When I say I don't like loud noises, it's like...remember the loud noises we heard with the smoke before we found each of the scrolls for the treasure hunt?"

"Oh yes..." Bobby Lee nodded, recalling how Sandra had collapsed on the floor with her hands over her ears, "But I take it you also don't like it when people yell in your ears?" he added, recalling that Sandra had cringed against a wall when Elena was having a meltdown and screaming close to her ear.

"Like I said, I meant no offense or disrespect to you or Elena," Sandra said as she drew Elena into a hug.

"And no offense was taken," Bianca assured her.

Nell handed Elena a tissue as she wiped her nose on it before patting her back.

"She has autism," Nell explained with a smile, showing Kitty as an example. "Kitty, a flying jaquin toy given to us by Princess Elena of Avalor, is our Elena's favorite and her comfort toy. Though she sometimes feels bad when she makes others sad."

"So she understands them in a way?" Alenna guessed, seeing Elena look interested in her.

"Yes, she's gotten very good at understanding people's feelings," Nell smiled.

"And all you can do is take it one day at a time," Aleena agreed.

"That's what we always tell her, Miss Aleena," Bobby Lee smiled.

Aleena smiled as she showed everyone around her workshop. Her pet phoenix watched everyone from her golden perch. "You can pet her if you want," she said, seeing Elena's look of curiosity. "She's very friendly."

Even though Nell was terrified of birds, she smiled as she heard the phoenix's musical cry. "I've never heard anything so beautiful," she murmured.

"We keep?" Elena asked with a smile.

"No! I mean no Love Bug. She needs to stay here," Nell explained, trying her best not to freak out. "Stay here and away from me."

"Pardon me but you have a fear of birds?" Alenna wondered in surprise.

"Geese mostly ever since I was four but yes all birds and admittedly I tried to use our sorcerer's wand once to make them all disappear," Nell explained, looking embarrassed as she covered the scar she had received fourteen years earlier with her hand. "Of course it was after my rescue that I did it. Cedric wasn't pleased."

"You don't have to worry," Aleena assured her. "Sinistra's very sweet. She'd never hurt anyone. And don't let her name fool you; she's named after one of my favorite teachers."

"She's a magnificent creature, Miss Aleena," Roland smiled.

"Thank you, your majesty," Aleena curtsied, then she turned to Nell. "I understand how you feel. I've always been uneasy around water birds. Swans, I don't mind so much. I've always thought they were so pretty, and I even conjure one as my Patronus."

"Can we see it?" Florence asked.

"Of course," Aleena smiled. "Expecto Patronum!" Everyone watched as the swan flew around the room, and even Nell was amazed.

She had only seen magic at celebrations and maybe a few snooping into Sofia's lessons with Cedric out of the concern of Baileywick, Nell softly smiled at the act, actually glad that someone understood her fear.

Most people that she remembered from childhood would often laugh at her fear before being pulled out of her thoughts by the bird landing on her shoulder.

"Easy, Sinistra, that's a good girl," Aleena murmured, extending her arm. "Come back over here, sweetheart."

Sinistra flew back to her perch and watched as Aleena showed everyone around her workshop.

Even Sofia was amazed. The only other workshop she'd ever been in was Cedric's. Aleena's workshop was more organized, but she knew Cedric did his best, and she was always there to help straighten it up. Suddenly, a gold fountain in the back of the room caught her eye. "Look at that!" she gasped. As everyone watched, a spray of perfumed water shot out of the fountain and swirled around the room.

"Brilliant!" James smiled as the water made contact with everyone, giving them a little squirt.

"Forgive me for sounding like Hildegard, but I have to say it: Daddy, I want one of those!" Amber grinned.

"Me too!" Elena squealed, Gabby nodding in agreement.

"That's one of my favorite things to use when visitors come or there's a feast," Aleena smiled. "I also heard of your sorcerer's Morph-o-Mirrors, and I was wondering if he could help me entertain the guests at the All Hallows Eve party tonight."

"He would love too!" Sofia suggested with a smile.

"Meanie Mr. Magic man!" Elena pouted, holding Kitty close to her. "He take Kitty!"

"It was all for fun, Elena," Nell explained again. "He wanted to lead us on a treasure hunt, and he thought Kitty would like to participate. He never meant to be mean, and he did apologize to you that night."

"Can't you forgive Mr. Cedric, Elena?" Sofia asked.

"I forgave him for taking Fig," Sandra added.

"I forgave him for taking Little Rex," James agreed.

"I forgave him for taking Lamb-Lamb," Bobby Lee said as he hugged her.

"And I forgave him for taking my necklace," Nell finished. "Everything turned out fine in the end. Our missing items were found, and we all had fun looking for them."

"Okay. Mr. Magic man good now," Elena said, rubbing something rub against her legs. "Kitty?"

"Kitty?" Gabby wondered, looking at the ground.

"You're right; it is a kitty," Sandra grinned as she picked him up. "Ambre! But why don't we take him out so he doesn't aggravate King Roland's 'allergies,'" It was a little hard for her to make the air quotes as she was speaking, but Elena giggled as she knew what Sandra meant.

Robert smiled next to her. "Hey, buddy; did we wake you up?" he said as he petted him. When Sandra and Elena took Ambre out, he smiled at the rest of the group. "Ambre has another room a few doors away from Aleena's tower. When he's not in Sandra's or my bedroom, I've often seen him playing with some of her little trinkets as she's working. And most importantly, he knows not to knock over her potion ingredients. But the room I'm talking about is where he goes when he wants to be alone."

"A Fortress of Solitude?" Bobby Lee suggested.

"Exactly," Robert chuckled, since he was also a fan of the movies and got the reference.

"That's all right, but how does Aleena's phoenix see Ambre?" Bianca asked.

"Ambre and Sinistra get along very well," Robert smiled. "Sandra introduced him to her the day she adopted him."

"So they friends?" Gabby asked with a gasp. "Like Snow White and Jagger?"

"You can say that Gabby," Robert muttered, messing up her hair. "Do you know what you're going to be for All Hallows' Eve?"

"No. But Elena wants to be Elena. Mommy's been trying to make her night light thingy just right," Gabby explained with a little giggle.

"If she needs help, I'll be more than happy to help you," Aleena volunteered. "I've seen pictures of Princess Elena's scepter, and I can help make it light up for you."

"I'd like that," Nell smiled. She shook Aleena's hand. "It's been difficult to do that costume but thanks to Sofia, I've had some help sewing it up piece by piece and Bianca and Florence recently have taken all of our measurements so luckily Elena won't be too big or too small for her costume."

"And Mr. Cedric has made a growth spell. So it grows in size as Elena gets older," Sofia explained before she laughed. "Though Elena as a teenager in this costume is a bit of a scary thought."

"She could still use it for a formal event," Patricia suggested. "Sandra did that with one of her costumes for a few years before I had her get a new dress."

"Really?" Elena asked.

"That's right," Sandra nodded. "Like Mr. Cedric did with your costume, Aleena put a growth spell on it, so it would grow with me for as long as I had it. But one day, I saw Zoe going in my closet where the dress was. Since she liked it so much, and I didn't wear it anymore, I gave the costume to her. Aleena reversed the spell she put on it, so it would return to its original size and fit Zoe, but she told me that she'll put the spell back on it for Zoe for as long as she has it."

"That's an interesting idea," Bianca smiled. "We'll have to look through some of Helen's old dresses and see if Cedric can do that for Madeline Elizabeth and Sabrina Marie. And we'll look through some of their old dresses and see if he can do that for Elena Lydia and Gabby Anna."

"Yucky!" Elena and Gabby yelled over getting their aunts older dresses as Nell couldn't help but chuckle at her sisters nodding in agreement.

"Helen Genevieve, it seems like the girls don't like the idea," Bianca said with a soft chuckle. "Even when they share everything else!"

"Give them time," Nell smirked. "We'll go through their old dresses when we get home and see if any of them catch the girls' eye."

"Just like playing dress-up?" Madeline suggested.

"I like dress-up!" Elena cheered.

"Yeah!" Gabby agreed.

"Kind of like that!" Sofia laughed with a smile, gently smiling at Elena.

"It'll be like doing your own fashion show!" Amber encouraged the girls, having them look up at her before Elena yawned.

"Is it someone's nap time?" Alenna wondered, not a mother like Nell was but knew children when she saw them.

"I think you're right," Nell smiled. "The girls didn't want to sleep on the way over here."

"Well, we'll have Nigel take you to your guest rooms and let you rest after your journey," Robert offered.

"Bailey's brother's here?" Madeline asked.

"No, sweetheart," Patricia smiled. "Nigel is our own steward. He and Mr. Baileywick's brother just happen to have the same first name."

"Like Daddy?" Gabby asked with a yawn as Florence picked her up.

"Yes. Just like your daddy!" Florence chuckled softly, rubbing Gabby's back to get her to sleep.

"And me!" Elena giggled, jumping up and down before stopping herself. "Sorry?"

"It's okay, we know you're tired but we know what you mean; you also share someone's name," Bianca smiled. To her Elena was a innocent gifted child, picking her up in her arms. "Let's have Mommy and Daddy get some time alone okay?"

"But they love us! Don't they?" Elena asked with a quivering lip.

"Of course they do," Miranda assured her with a smile. "But like most Mommies and Daddies, they just want to play their own games and do their own things."

Elena was about to protest again when a huge yawn stopped her. Bobby Lee took her in his arms and followed Nigel to his and Nell's guest room.

"And after you've all rested, please feel free to look around the castle," Robert added.

"And while the girls are having their naps, we can play some games, if you know what I mean!" Bobby Lee whispered to Nell.

"Sounds like fun," Nell whispered back before catching Bianca's suspicious look. "But maybe we'll rest ourselves first. We barely slept on the ride over here too."

"That's what I thought you said," Bianca smirked.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

When they were back in their guest room, Elena sighed as Nell and Bobby Lee tucked her and Gabby in. "Don't worry, Love Bug; after your nap, we'll look around the castle some more," Bobby Lee promised.

Suddenly, they saw Ambre hop up onto Elena's bed. "Kitty nap nap too?" Elena asked, giggling as Ambre sniffed her.

"He must know you like cats," Nell smiled as he curled up on the bed. She stroked Ambre and asked, "Are you going to keep an eye on them, Ambre?"

"Oh, yes," Sandra grinned as she watched from the doorway. "He'll stay with them for a few minutes, then he'll go off and do something else. But don't worry if he jumps on the bed while they're sleeping. He does that with Dad too, and that means he wants to play."

"They're famous for playing!" Nell chuckled with a smile.

"Speaking of playing, we better get to resting ourselves before Bianca gets us," Bobby Lee muttered, nudging Nell on the shoulder.

"Too late, Robert Lee," Bianca smirked as she came up to them.

"We were just tucking the girls in, Bianca," Nell tried to explain as she and Bobby Lee kissed Elena and Gabby and followed Sandra out of the room.

"Those two. Such children!" Bianca chuckled before seeing Ambre with Elena. "Well aren't you their knight in furry armor?"

Ambre purred, rubbing against Bianca who smiled, petting him gently.

"You've got a way with animals, Miss Bianca," Sandra smiled. "Normally Ambre's scared of new people, but if he sees them long enough, he makes his presence known. And he lets them pet him if they're nice to him."

"I'm honored that he likes me," Bianca smiled.

Ambre looked up, and Sandra said, "Okay, buddy, we're out of here. You just close your little kitty eyes and take a nap too."

Ambre purred again before closing his eyes and falling asleep with Elena.

"Elena Lydia is the gentle one. It's been twelve years since I was with an animal of my own," Bianca admitted with a smile as she and Sandra left the room. "I had a dog. I called her Rose after one of my favorite flowers. She was rather protective over Helen Genevieve. Especially while she was still in Lydia's stomach."

"Did they ever get along?" Sandra wondered with a chuckle.

"Oh yes," Bianca smiled. "I'd see them playing together sometimes, and we always invited her to tea parties we had. We'd give her tea in her own cup, and she'd lap it up while we drank ours. She also loved it when I played the piano."

"Like I said one other time, Ambre loves singing too," Sandra smiled.

"Your imagination is as strong as Elena Lydia's," Bianca smirked.

"I've been known to write the occasional story," Sandra grinned. "James and I are both in the Creative Writing class at school, and we're pretty good when it comes to word games."

"So I saw," Bianca smiled, remembering how easily they had solved the different clues.

"You're not so bad yourself," Sandra smirked back with a laugh.

"You're just being polite is all!" Bianca chuckled, seeing Madeline hug her legs.

"Sorry!" Sabrina yelled, dragging Madeline away from Bianca's legs. "She thought you were Nell."

"Madeline Elizabeth, your sister is with Robert Lee. You remember that they're married," Bianca reminded her with a smile.

"Why couldn't she wait until Elena and Gabby were our age?" Madeline grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Good things come to those who wait?" Sandra quipped.

"Stop sounding like Mom, Sandra," a new voice sounded behind them. The group turned, and they saw Zoe and Sandra's older brother Ezekiel, looking like he was going out to muck out the stables. "You think you're so great when it comes to word play, but you're not!"

"Zeke, I seem to recall that I recently got you an A on your last Strategic Planning scenario," Sandra replied. "And wasn't it Mom who said that you never liked doing papers?"

Ezekiel frowned at the memory. The teacher had praised his work, but he told him that Sandra had helped him write it. The teacher then said that he couldn't wait for her to come and wow him. However, he just asked, "Where's Spike? Is he still outside?"

"I would think so," Bianca replied, "He was playing with Prince James."

Ezekiel nodded and went out. He had been there when Robert and Patricia got a letter from King Roland that the royal family was coming to visit for a few days. Since he learned at the same time as Zoe and Sandra about Elena's autism, he had also been warned not to give Elena a hard time, or he'd have to muck out the stables for another month. However, that didn't stop him from thinking what he was saying.

"Elena's a little attached to animals," James explained to Spike while Ezekiel watched with interest. "But for someone her age, she's gentle as can be."

"A three year old with autism gentle?" Ezekiel smirked, petting Spike who licked him.

"Elena's not perfect but for her age she draws surprisingly well and loves everyone!" James defended, thankful that Elena was taking her nap.

Ezekiel just nodded and went to see how the horses in the stables were doing. He actually smiled a little as Spike followed him. "Come, Spike-a," he said as he led the way to the stables.

"Small world!" James chuckled, following the two inside. "Elena would love this place."

"So you weren't just referring to Spike when you said she liked animals," Ezekiel muttered, looking at one of the horses.

""No I was not," James said in annoyance. "Every animal in existence she loves! Okay except for bugs but that's beside the point."

"You think I enjoy what I do, James?" Ezekiel asked, picking up some horse muck.

"Well you did cause it yourself. And besides you were the one that caused your own downfall!" James reminded him with a chuckle.

"Like the red head and the children she made out of marriage?" Ezekiel smirked, seeing himself push James' buttons.

"THAT WAS NOT NELL'S FAULT!" James screamed, almost as red as Bobby Lee whenever that part of Nell's life was brought up.

"James! Ezekiel!" Roland, Robert, Nell, Bianca, and Bobby Lee ran in the stable, hearing the noise with Zoe and Sandra right behind them.

"Zoe, go play with Madeline and Sabrina!" Sandra pushed Zoe toward Nell's sisters, then tried to get between her brother and James. "Both of you, break it up!"

"James, thank you for trying to stand up for me, but I can handle this," Nell frowned at Ezekiel, then turned to Roland. "Roland, don't punish him over this. They almost came to blows, but Sandra tried to stop them. And James is right; Ezekiel was the one who unmasked him during his song."

"All right, Helen, but James, consider this your only warning," Roland agreed. "I know you were only trying to defend Helen's honor, but in the future, let Robert, both Helen's husband and Ezekiel's father, or myself, handle this."

"Okay, Dad," James agreed, then turned to the group. "I'm sorry, everyone; this won't happen again."

"It won't do any good grounding him anyway; he spends his extra time in his room," Roland said as James left, "I also can't punish him with extra chores; he helps everyone around the castle."

"Time out may work with my girls but I don't think time in the corner would work for James like it does for Elena!" Nell chuckled with a smile.

"If you Ezekiel, mess with my wife again, I swear I will-" Bobby Lee began, the anger of overhearing the words tossed out the young boy's mouth about his beloved pumping in his veins.

"Robert Lee, breathe," Bianca instructed, interrupting the young man who looked ready to do more than defend Nell in front of an inviting kingdom.

"Ezekiel, you'll be in the stables for the rest of the day," Robert spoke up.

"And I think it would be best if we all stay away from the stables," Bianca agreed. "We wouldn't want the boys almost coming to blows again."

"You're right, Miss Parkington," Robert agreed, offering her his arm. "If you'll come this way, we can find something more pleasant to do."

"Certainly," Bianca agreed, taking his arm as part of his offering. "I apologize for Robert Lee. The boy lost his father years ago and tries to defend anyone."

"With force to the one who has dismissed them?" Robert guessed, gently seeing Bobby Lee embarrassed by his actions.

"Oh yes," Bianca agreed. "He tries to protect everyone he comes across; that's what makes him so good at his job as a junior guard."

"And as a Daddy too," Nell added, kissing her husband on the cheek.

"Bobby Lee I'm bored!" Madeline whined, tugging on Bobby Lee's pants leg.

"Now Madeline be patient," Bobby Lee said, taking her hand. "You and Sabrina can play with Zoe and Sandra until Elena wakes up from her nap."

Madeline sighed, but she and Sabrina liked playing with Zoe. They were a little younger than her, but they got along well together.

"I just got a new doll," Zoe suggested, "You want to play dolls with me?"

Smiling, as they both enjoyed the occasional tea party with their dolls, Madeline and Sabrina followed her.

…

"Kitty? What wrong?" Elena asked, rubbing her eyes as Ambre rubbed against her.

It made the three year old confused, looking at Ambre with a smile, petting him.

She recalled that Sandra had said that Ambre liked jumping on the bed and trying to wake her or Robert up to play with him, and she figured that was what the cat had in mind. However, she got a surprise when Ambre started talking.

"Elena, listen to me," Ambre told her, "Something very strange is going on in the castle. You need to figure out what's happening."

"Okay," Elena nodded. She tiptoed over to Gabby and shook her awake. "Gabby, wake up! Ambre wants us to go with him."

"Ambre can't talk..." Gabby, who was still half asleep, mumbled.

"Yes I can, Gabby," Ambre said, making her sit up in surprise. "I need your help too."

"Why Kitty talk?" Elena wondered in confusion.

"Maybe we have am u let's like Sofia!" Gabby squealed, clapping her hands. "Right Ambre?"

"I'll explain about it later, girls; right now I need you to help me," Ambre said as he hopped on the beds again.

"Shouldn't we get Sandra?" Elena asked.

"I'll lead you around the castle," Ambre assured them.

"You don't think Snow White can talk too can you?" Gabby whispered out of earshot.

"I don't know. Mommy says I have a big imagination or something else like that big word but maybe she can just like Ambre!" Elena whispered back with a giggle.

"What would she say anyway?" Gabby wondered, seeing Ambre hop off the bed.

"You can figure it out later, girls; right now, I need you to follow me," Ambre said as he led them out.

When they looked around, Elena and Gabby were shocked. They had only seen their mommy and daddy a little while ago, and they had been just fine. Now they were frozen in large crystals, like the ones that hung from the chandelier in the dining hall, or from the lamps in the sitting room and bedrooms. As they looked around, they saw that it wasn't just Nell and Bobby Lee who were frozen; everyone was trapped in a crystal, and they were looking terrified.

"What's going on?" Gabby asked, poking the crystal that encased her father.

"Mommy?" Elena asked, poking Nell's crystal.

"Gabby, we have to keep Elena calm!" Ambre whispered, seeing Elena's sad face. "Sandra told me that she'd had a meltdown next to her, and like her, I don't like loud noises!"

"Okay, but how...wait...Elena! Kitty!" Gabby called, pointing to Ambre.

Elena looked at Ambre, then like she did with Snow White, she picked him up and started petting him. "Kitty..." she murmured.

"Ambre, Elena has at-is-him," Gabby explained.

"I know; I heard the family talking about it before you came here," Ambre agreed. "I also heard that Elena sometimes uses James' dog as a therapy animal, but she can use me while she's here."

"Can she use Spike too?" Gabby asked.

"Maybe, if he settles down enough, but that's only when there are people around to keep an eye on him," Ambre admitted.

"But there's not! He'll be a bad doggie and bad doggies bite!" Gabby wailed, wanting her mother's embrace now than ever.

"Gabby Kitty?" Elena offered, handing Ambre over to her sister.

"Elena, thank you," Gabby sniffed, looking around. "Queen Elsa is good. She has ice powers but never use them to be bad."

"Gabby don't like doggies," Elena whispered to Ambre.

The cat nodded in understanding. "I know how you feel. I don't like doggies either," he shuddered, recalling how Spike had chased him when he first came to the castle. "But he won't bite you. And besides, I saw him go out with Ezekiel, so he'll be in the stables for a long time."

Gabby looked relieved, but it was short-lived. "Okay, but how do we get Mommy and Daddy out?"

"Not just your mommy and daddy; Sofia and her friends and family too!" Ambre looked around.

Elena and Gabby followed his gaze. Ambre was right. Everyone from Enchancia, Robert, Patricia, and even Zoe and Sandra were encased in crystals.

"How we get them out?" Elena asked.

"I think I might have a way," they heard a voice behind them.

The girls looked up. "Miss Magic Lady!" Elena smiled, seeing Aleena.

"That's right, sweetheart," Aleena smiled as she pulled the girls into a hug, "Now come on. And bring Ambre with you. Let's get to my tower and see if we can figure this out."

Gabby nodded but Elena saw on her face that she wanted a certain Snow Queen instead.

Now Elena wouldn't mind Queen Elsa and Princess Anna to magically help them but knew that like Aleena's spells, a certain kind of magic would have to bring them to where they were.

"I know you're scared, girls, but I promise everything's going to be all right," Aleena tried to comfort them.

"How you know?" Elena asked before she went to look at the pretty fountain that squirted her with perfume again.

"My mother had a saying: The darkest hour is just before the dawn," Aleena replied. "It means that there's hope, even in the worst circumstances."

"Miss Bianca and Grand Mommy say that too!" Gabby smiled.

"Great minds do tend to think alike," Aleena joked, but then she turned serious as she waved her wand over her bookshelf. "Let's look through these books and see if we can't find something to help our friends."

"We can't read," Elena admitted, Gabby nodding beside her.

"That's okay," Aleena assured them, "I put a spell on the books so they'll read to us."

"Pretty pictures would've been better," Elena grumbled, feeling icy cold air.

"Elena you okay?" Gabby asked, seeing her sister shiver a little.

"Quiltius!" Aleena aimed her wand at the girls, making blankets appear around them. "Sorry about that; I forget how cold it gets up here. But if it's pictures you want, take a look at these."

She handed her what looked like the book she was looking at, but it was all in pictures. "Yay! Pretty!" Elena smiled.

"I'm glad you like that," Aleena smiled. "It's the same book I have, but it's just full of pictures, while I have both words and pictures."

"Good move, Aleena," Ambre purred from where he and Sinistra were watching everything.

"Thanks, Ambre," Aleena smiled. When she saw the girls' looks of amazement, she said, "I bet you didn't know that I can talk to animals too! I know how to enchant jewels with abilities, and one of them is the power to talk to animals."

"We knew what Ambre was saying too!" Gabby smiled.

"That's because when you were watching my fountain the first time, I slipped little necklaces around your necks," Aleena grinned, pointing at the red pendant Elena was wearing, and the blue pendant Gabby wore. "Your parents, Miss Parkington, and Miss Florence also got one."

"Yay!" Elena cheered. "We keep?"

"Of course you can keep them," Aleena smiled. "I hear you have a kitty of your own, and now you can talk to each other."

"Miss Aleena, Sofia has an amulet, and it let's her get powers when good so do we get that too?" Gabby wondered with a smile.

"Or is it talent powers? Because I can draw good!" Elena giggled, clapping her hands.

"I'm sure you're a very talented artist, Elena, but I'm afraid you won't be getting any other abilities. Talking to animals is the only power you get from these," Aleena replied, "Sofia told me about what her amulet does, but these are different than hers."

"Okay," Elena sighed.

"Yeah," Gabby agreed. "But how we save Mommy and Daddy?"

"I think I have a spell in one of my books," Aleena said as she looked at her books.

While she looked at her books, Elena noticed a blue glow from Gabby's pendant and a red glow from her own pendant.

Being sisters and twins, it made them confused about the glowing as they remembered Aleena's words about not getting any other abilities.

"I see you noticed that I also just put a protective enchantment on your pendants," Aleena said, looking up from a different book. "This will keep both of you safe from whatever trapped everyone in those crystals."

"Good idea," Ambre commented.

A while later, Aleena was still looking through one of her books, when she jumped back, jerking her hand away from the book as though her fingers had been scorched. "In the words of your royal sorcerer, Merlin's Mushrooms!" she gasped.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked, Gabby echoing her.

"I just learned that everyone is trapped in a Fear Crystal," Aleena gasped. "They're powerful magical items, and even if they break, the person who was trapped inside it is confronted with their worst fear until they face it."

"They be trapped and scared forever?" Elena asked.

"No, not forever, but it will take a while to free everyone..." Aleena looked in her crystal ball. She nodded grimly, seeing the Royal Families of Orillia and Enchancia trapped in individual crystals. She looked over the castle grounds, but saw that the guards were safe. She looked over the stable, and saw that Ezekiel and Spike were also safe. "That's right," she mused, "Animals aren't affected by Fear Crystals."

"How did this happen?" Sinistra asked.

"That's a really good question," Aleena replied.

"But what could Mommy and Daddy be scared of?" Elena wondered in confusion.

"Well they could have many fears. Especially when they love you two as their little girls," Alenna explained with a soft smile. "Gabby, from what Sandra has told me you fear dogs but what about you Elena? What's your fear?"

"Mean boy Jack teasing me," Elena whispered, referring to a little boy in the village who always teased her and Gabby. "People say bad things about me having at-is-him, but he's really bad."

"I can understand that," Aleena murmured, pulling her into a hug. "But you don't have to worry. I won't tease you."

"Thank you Miss Magic Lady," Elena sniffed softly, accepting the embrace as best as she could.

"Maybe the crystals have pictures! So we can see what everyone's scared of!" Gabby suggested as she jumped up and down.

"We could. Good idea Gabby," Alenna muttered with a smile, patting her head.

She aimed her wand at the images of the crystals and chanted a few spells. Suddenly, one of the crystals turned blue, and an image of a frog appeared. The girls and Aleena heard a bloodcurdling scream from within the crystal. "A frog? Who's afraid of frogs?" Aleena asked.

"Amber!" Elena shouted, Gabby nodding at her side.

"I know how she feels," Aleena shuddered. "I always hated having to handle frogs in school! But I like the songs they sing."

"James says Amber likes that too," Gabby remembered. "He said he sang a song once that Amber liked, and he said a froggie sang it first."

"I know the song you mean," Aleena smiled; she'd heard Sandra sing it to Ambre once. "Let's try your ideas. But first," she paused to put on a pendant with a turquoise stone. "My own protection from the Fear Crystals. Now let's go help Amber."

The twins nodded, running ahead as Elena kept having the image of a frog playing in her head.

Fearing animals wasn't in her family like she thought it was, wondering what a frog would like.

Aleena tapped Amber's crystal prison with her wand, and it shattered, but Amber was curled up in a ball on the ground. "No...no! Frogs! Go away...GO AWAY!" she screamed, covering her head with her hands.

"Princess Amber! It's all right! It's not real!" Aleena tried to comfort her. "You do know that frogs sing, right? And you like the songs they sing, don't you?"

"Frogs sing?" Amber asked, looking up into Aleena's calm eyes.

"Yes they do," Aleena murmured, rubbing her back as she sang softly, "So we've been told and some choose to believe it; I know they're wrong, wait and see..."

"Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection..." Amber joined in, recalling the song James had sung to her, and told her that a frog sang it as well.

"The lovers, the dreamers, and me," they finished together.

Amber smiled. "James is right; music makes everything better. Thank you!"

Amber had just calmed down when Aleena's staff started glowing again.

"Who next?" Gabby wondered as Ambre purred against her.

"Is it Mommy?" Elena wondered, staring at the light with curiosity.

"It is Helen!" Aleena agreed when she heard Nell's terrified screams about birds coming from the crystal. She tapped Nell's crystal with her wand, and Elena and Gabby ran to their mother's side.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Elena cried, hugging her.

"Mommy!" Gabby smiled, hugging her on the other side.

"Birds! Birds everywhere!" Nell wailed. She looked at her sides, seeing her girls hug her. "My babies! I thought they were gonna take you away!"

"Mommy we here it's okay," Elena assured her with another hug.

"And it's okay that you had an accident Mommy," Gabby said, noticing a stain on Nell's skirt. "We get you cleaned up."

"You had a double fear," Alenna muttered, realizing that it wasn't more than the birds. "The first fear overlaps the second fear."

"Mommy, there's no birdies here," Elena assured her.

"Well, Sinistra's here, but you said it's geese that are the worst," Aleena remembered what Nell had told her. She caught the stain on Nell's skirt, aimed her wand at it, and murmured, "Tergeo!" The stain disappeared, and she helped Nell sit down.

"Thank you, Miss Aleena," Nell sighed with relief. She looked like she was struggling with something, and she said after a few moments, "Would it be all right if Sinistra stayed with me? I love hearing her sing."

"That's perfectly all right," Aleena smiled. "I think your royal sorcerer told you that phoenix song has a wonderful calming effect on people."

"I don't know if Cedric knows that, but Sofia does," Nell agreed.

"Who's next?" Gabby asked.

"For what?" Nell wondered in confusion.

"The Fear Crystal," Sinistra explained, flying over to Nell.

"Mommy, it's okay," Elena assured her, seeing that Nell was embarrassed over what she had done while in her crystal. "You and Daddy don't get mad when me or Gabby have accidents and well we won't be mad at you."

Nell looked uneasily around at the crystals. "Thank you, sweetheart, but what will your daddy say? And Bianca? Sabrina? Madeline? Or-"

Aleena held up a hand. "It's all right, Helen. I'm going to tell you something Sandra always tells me when I want to confide something to her: What happens here stays here. I won't tell anyone, so don't worry about it."

"I won't say anything if you don't want me to," Amber agreed.

"Thank you," Nell sighed with relief. "Now, who's going to be freed next?"

"I think we'll find out right now," Aleena said as her staff started glowing again.

"Well I recognize that scream," Nell muttered, looking concerned for whoever it was screaming.

"Daddy?" Elena asked with a frown.

"No Elena! Daddy's a boy!" Gabby giggled with a smile. "It's not Miss Bianca or Grand Mommy either."

The group turned, and saw Aleena's staff pointing them toward the crystal Sofia was trapped in. They ran to her prison as fast as they could.

Aleena had just barely shattered Sofia's prison when she fell out, crying even harder than Nell. She didn't look like she'd had an accident, which Nell was grateful for.

Amber was at her side in a second. She rubbed her back, like Aleena had done with her. "Sofia...Sofia, it's all right."

"Kitty?" Elena suggested, motioning for Ambre to go over to Sofia.

"Sof, what happened in there?" Nell asked, kneeling down towards the child, her face turning to it's motherly side as she could tell just by the look of terror in Sofia's eyes, she needed a mother.

"Princess, you're alright," Ambre assured Sofia who hiccuped, burying her face in Nell's blouse.

"Mr. Cedric...Ruby...Jade...all my friends turned against me for no reason!" Sofia cried.

"One of Sofia's biggest fears is losing her friends or something happening to them," Amber remembered as Nell began rocking Sofia in her arms as if she was Elena or Gabby.

"Sofia...shh...you're all right," Nell murmured. "You've got plenty of friends around you."

"My friends?" Sofia looked around. She smiled as she saw Nell, Amber, Elena, Aleena, and Gabby around her.

"We're friends," Elena smiled as she hugged Sofia.

"Yes we are," Sofia said as she stroked Ambre, who nuzzled her.

"Who do we free now?" Gabby asked.

"Let's see!" Alenna chuckled with smile. "Sofia makes number three in people saying. Elena, what number comes next?"

"Six?" Elena guessed, not understanding the question being asked.

"Honey, Love Bug, while that's true with how many people are in here, think for a second. Me, you, and Gabby plus Daddy equals?" Nell grinned with a pat on her back.

"Four!" Elena giggled, taking Ambre in her arms.

"One of my worst fears is math too," Aleena joked as she watched Sofia calm down.

When Sofia was feeling better, they saw Aleena's staff glow again. They went over to a crystal, but they didn't hear any screaming in terror. Instead, they saw an image of James with a mixture of horror and sadness on his face as he clutched his throat.

"Oh no...If James has to re-live the time he lost his voice and refused to sing in public again, I don't know what I'll do," Amber murmured as Aleena broke the crystal trapping James.

Like Sofia and Nell before him, James had fallen to the ground before picking himself up and running to the first person he could see.

Nell.

"Boy aren't I a child magnet?" Nell joked before looking down at James who was shaking. "James, you're alright. I got you."

Unlike Amber, who had been screaming bloody murder over the frogs, and Sofia, who was crying over losing her friends, James was shaking in silent tears, and it looked like he was having trouble speaking. He could only whisper the words before burying his face in Nell's chest.

"Elena, Gabby, I need you to help me out," Nell waved them over. "James, you know you can talk, and I've heard you sing. You have a wonderful voice, and you're blessed with your birth mother's talent for music."

"James, sing with me," Elena started, "You and me together will be...Forever you'll see..."

Raising his tearstained face to meet the little girl's gaze, James softly joined in, "We two can be good company, you and me, just wait and see..." He gasped. "I sang in public...and nothing bad happened! I can sing in public again!"

"That's right, James; your mother would be so proud of you," Nell smiled as she hugged him.

"Wouldn't yours be proud of you too?" James wondered, brushing a loose hair from Nell's face.

"I don't understand what you mean," Nell muttered, pretending not to know what he meant.

"Happy?" Elena guessed in confusion, not having a chance to actually meet Lydia.

"I'm feeling better, Elena, and we'll sing more songs later, especially a kitty song," James smiled as he saw Aleena's staff glowing at another crystal.

Gabby looked puzzled. The picture was a dog, but she was standing outside the crystal. "I'm not in a crystal thing. Who else is scared of doggies?" she wondered.

Aleena turned pale as she broke the crystal. "Oh no. If there's one thing that scares Sandra more than speaking in public, it's dogs!"

Her suspicions were confirmed when the crystal broke, and Sandra was huddled in a ball, just like she was if she heard a loud noise. "No...no! Dogs are evil!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"I know what you feel. Doggies are bad," Gabby said, lifting up her weak leg to show Sandra.

"How many teeth marks?" Sandra wondered in fear.

"Four," Gabby pointed at each one.

"Dogs didn't bite me...they're coming at me!" Sandra cried out, pointing at something in the distance.

"There's nothing there," James tried to tell her.

Sofia remembered Sandra telling her that when she was younger, large dogs had run at her. "There are no big dogs here, Sandra, and the only dog we saw all day is Spike."

"I like little dogs, and the only dog I will ever tolerate is Spike!" Sandra declared.

"You like Jagger, don't you?" James asked.

"I met Jagger, and he's okay. He's friendly, and he doesn't jump on or run at anyone," Sandra admitted as Ambre came up to her.

"James trained Jagger very well as a therapy dog," Nell explained as Sandra picked him up and stroked him.

"I know; I saw him around Elena and Gabby," Sandra agreed, having watched him around the girls. "But it's still official; I am a confirmed cat person for life!"

"Me too," Gabby agreed, stroking Ambre.

When Sandra calmed down, they saw Aleena's staff glowing, and it pointed them toward another crystal.

"Oh my!" Nell gasped, nearly turning faint as Elena and Gabby looked confused.

"Mommy, who that man?" Elena asked, hugging Nell's leg.

"Honey, that's your and Gabby's real daddy. Jimmy McDonald," Nell shuddered just at the sight of the familiar brown curls that matched her daughters. "It's not my fear. But I wonder who."

Their question was answered by a scream of "Not Lydia's daughter you bastard!"

"Go, Bianca! But seriously, girls, you are forbidden to use that word," Nell said as Aleena broke the crystal and Bianca looked around frantically.

"Helen Genevieve! Madeline Elizabeth! Sabrina Marie! NO!" Bianca was sobbing hysterically on the floor, almost as bad as Sofia. "Lydia...Lydia, how could I have failed you like that?"

"Bianca! It's all right! I'm here!" Nell said as she hugged her mother figure. "Remember, Bobby Lee rescued me, Madeline, and Sabrina. We're all safe thanks to him."

"Oh, my sweet girl," Bianca leaned into her embrace, but she smirked, seeing as how their roles were reversed. Normally, it would be Nell crying over nightmares and she was the one who offered comfort. "But speaking of Madeline Elizabeth and Sabrina Marie, where are they?"

"First, Miss Parkington, drink this. It's a Calming Draught," Aleena said as she handed her a vial of pale blue liquid.

"Thank you, but how did you know I need this?" Bianca asked.

"I'm a Royal Sorceress, ma'am; I need to be prepared for everything," Aleena replied, glancing at her staff, which was glowing again. "Second, we're about to find one of Helen's sisters right now."

"Which one?" James wondered with a smirk.

"Twins like us!" Elena giggled, jumping up and down.

They were surprised to see an image of another man appeared on the crystal. Aleena shattered it, and Madeline was crying on the floor. "I don't care what you say! Nell needs me!"

Nell's hands balled into fists as she went over to Madeline. "I should have known," she fumed.

"I'll kill him too!" Bianca growled, kneeling next to Madeline.

"Who is that?" Amber asked.

"That's Jimmy's son Robby," Nell explained. "When Jimmy was alone with me, Robby always guarded the door. Madeline always tried to get past him, and she always told him that she didn't care about his threats toward her and Sabrina."

"You leave Nell alone!" Madeline screamed.

"Butterfly, Madeline, baby I'm right here," Nell assured her as Madeline looked up at her.

"Really?" Madeline asked with a quivering lip.

"Yes. Oh yes I am," Nell said, taking her in her arms.

"Robby's gone?" Madeline asked.

"Yes, baby girl," Nell promised, "He, Jimmy, and Beth were all captured at the same time, and they're all going to pay with their lives for what they did to us. They'll never hurt us again."

Aleena's staff glowed again, and the image of a bee appeared on another crystal.

"Oh no..." Sandra murmured.

"What is it?" Bianca asked.

"If there's one thing that scares Zoe, it's bees," Sandra said as Aleena broke the crystal trapping her sister.

"No bees! No bees!" Zoe wailed, running into Sandra's arms.

"No doggies!" Gabby sobbed, running into Elena's arms.

"Who knew sisterly love could help them?" James wondered with a chuckle.

"Elena, this is probably a silly question, but you like music, right?" Sandra asked.

"I like music!" Elena smiled.

"Okay. I'm going to teach you a song, and we're going to sing it. It always calmed Zoe down when she saw bees," Sandra said as she sat next to Zoe. She started singing softly, "The road runs down where the butternut grows to old Bill Skinner's stream..."

Suddenly, Bianca joined her, "Do tell at the noonday bell, it's time for a summertime dream."

Zoe smiled as she listened to the song. "How did you know that song?" she asked Bianca as she calmed down.

"I've heard King Roland sing this sometimes, and I asked if I could make my own copy of the song," Bianca smiled. "I used to sing that to Elena Lydia and Gabby Anna when Helen Genevieve and Robert Lee asked me to babysit."

"When they were babies of course!" Nell recalled with a chuckle.

"Miss Magic Lady! Your stick glowing again!" Elena giggled but she gasped. "King!"

"What about Dad?" Sofia asked, kneeling down towards Elena.

Aleena followed her gaze. She saw an image of Amber, James, Sofia, and Miranda on the crystal. She broke it and Roland started frantically looking around the room. "Where are you?" he shouted.

"Dad! It's okay! We're all here!" James said as he, Sofia, and Amber gathered around him. "We still need to find Mom, though, but we will soon."

"Miranda!" Roland yelled, searching for her.

"What a coincidence, your Majesty; she's right here," Aleena pointed toward another glowing crystal prison.

"SOFIA!" they heard a bloodcurdling scream as the crystal was shattered.

"Mom! It's okay! I'm here!" Sofia shouted, running toward her and hugging her.

"Sofia, my baby!" Miranda wrapped her in a hug and covered her face with kisses.

"James! Amber!" Roland grabbed James and Amber in a hug.

"Your Majesty, this might help too," Sandra said as she kept her finger on the page Aleena had her book open to, and found another spell. "Aleena, can you make some of this for everyone? We all need something to calm down."

"No problem, Princess Sandra," Aleena smiled as she cast a spell, and made bowls full of something appear in everyone's laps.

"Yummy!" Elena smiled as she tried some. "What's this?"

"Well, Elena, it's no infamous jiggly-wiggly pudding, but you can't go wrong with flan!" Sandra grinned as Aleena's staff started glowing again.

"That's odd," Alenna muttered, seeing two crystals glow at the same time.

"What's odd?" Gabby wondered in confusion.

"Are the crystals sharing?" Elena asked, trying to bury her face in her bowl of flan.

"Well, King Roland and Queen Miranda both have the same fears about something happening to their children, but I caught a glimpse of a second fear in Queen Miranda's, just like I had with Helen's and her fears," Aleena explained. "Queen Miranda has a secret fear of never being accepted by everyone since she started her life as a common shoemaker."

"We would never reject you or Princess Sofia, Queen Miranda," Bianca assured her, putting an arm around her.

"I couldn't imagine my life without you," Roland agreed.

"We love you, Mom," James hugged her, Amber echoing him and copying his actions.

"And King Roland has nothing to fear from losing his kingdom," Aleena continued. "I heard about what Cedric had done, and I'm ashamed to say that I was briefly a member of that accursed Order of the Wand myself. But as soon as I learned what they were planning, I left them."

"I remember that," Sandra agreed, "You were so upset about that, but Dad told you that you weren't responsible, and you told him everything, and even gave him the Medusa stone, which is under lock and key in our Jewel Room."

"So Daddy And Grand Mommy share a fear too?" Elena asked in confusion.

"We'll see sweetheart," Alenna assured her with a smile.

"Then you'll help me with Elena's handmade scepter?" Nell whispered, not wanting Elena to know.

"Of course," Aleena whispered back. "I love helping Zoe with her little art projects, and I'm sure she'd love helping us with this one."

"Can I?" Zoe asked.

"Of course, sweetie," Nell smiled as Aleena's staff glowed again.

"And the next person to be freed is..." James paused.

"Daddy and Grand Mommy?!" Elena asked with a gasp.

"So they are sharing!" Gabby giggled, jumping up and

down.

"Helen? Helen!" Bobby Lee yelled, searching frantically around the room.

"Robert, I'm right here!" Nell ran over to him. She kissed him on the lips, just like how the prince kissed the sleeping princess in Elena and Gabby's fairy tales.

"Helen," Bobby Lee sighed with relief. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again!"

"We've already been through that, Robert," Nell smirked.

"I'm just glad you're safe, sweetheart," Florence sighed as she accepted a Calming Draught from Aleena; she'd had to face her fear of being alone with nobody to help raise her four-year-old Bobby Lee.

"And you know Bianca and Lydia were always there for us, don't you, Mother?" Bobby Lee asked.

"Of course, sweetheart," Florence smiled. "I can't believe I let myself get taken by that."

"It happened to everyone here so far," Amber assured her as Aleena's staff started glowing again.

"Everyone's free! Why is it glowing?" Bobby Lee asked in surprise. "Unless..."

"Robert Lee Johnson! Put the weapon down!" Florence scolded, seeing the sword her son owned rise from where it usually stayed.

"But Mother!" Bobby Lee whined, looking towards his family and the glowing staff.

"Don't you 'but Mother' me, Robert Lee Johnson," Florence smirked. "And don't make me send Princess Sandra after you again!" She smirked as Sandra picked up her fencing foil and aimed the flat of the blade at him.

"She'd do it too," Sandra grinned.

"Robert, listen to me...Jimmy McDonald is gone from our lives! He and his worthless sons are rotting in the dungeons and they'll be executed when Elena and Gabby turn eighteen!" Florence said as she wrapped him in a hug.

Bobby Lee managed to calm down, but he still saw a few crystals. "Who else do we need to free?" he asked.

"Mom and Dad, Mister Cedric, and Sabrina," Sandra said after a quick head count.

"Why didn't I realize Sabrina Marie wasn't with us?" Bianca groaned.

"We all had things on our minds," Nell said as she gave her a hug and Aleena's staff started glowing.

"Looks like your mommy and daddy are next," Gabby said to Zoe while playing with her hair.

"How can you tell?" Zoe wondered, looking up at the younger girl.

"They're sharing crystals!" Gabby shouted with a giggle.

Patricia glanced around the group until her eyes fell on Sandra's fencing foil. "Sandra, put that sword down! You know you're not supposed to handle that! You're in Enchanted Gardening, not Weapons Proficiency!"

"Mom, I used to be in Enchanted Gardening," Sandra corrected her. "As I think you remember, the fairies talked to you about that. After seeing me go out in the hall every five minutes so I could breathe, they finally suggested I take a different class."

"Ogre! Where are the knights? Charge!" Robert shouted, looking around.

Sandra patted his arm. "Don't worry, Dad; I've got this," she repeated what she said when she first beat the ogre.

"Sandra, no! Let the knights deal with it! You're my little princess!" Robert shouted.

"Dad, the ogre's gone. I whipped him good, and as per our agreement, he'll never bother Orillia again," Sandra assured him.

Robert's mind cleared. "Sandra...you're absolutely right. My little warrior princess..."

"Mommy! Daddy!" Zoe cheered, running up to them.

"Zoe! Our other little princess!" Robert smiled.

"Sandra, I'm sorry," Patricia apologized. "I should have remembered that you outwitted that ogre and you can handle yourself in fencing."

"Don't worry, Mom," Sandra assured her.

"I heard about that as well, your Majesty," Aleena smiled. "Princess Sandra was certainly clever that day. She solved the riddles the ogre posed to the knights and squires before they had a chance to work them out."

"Let me out! Let me out!" Sabrina's voice screamed, leaving Aleena's staff to glow as Nell, who had enough of her family members being stuck alone in the crystal, ran over to the crystals before turning to her husband's sword.

"Helen! What do you think you're doing?!" Bobby Lee asked, seeing fire blaze in his wife's eyes.

"Borrowing your sword. Remember you taught me how to use one while five months pregnant," Nell answered before taking the sword in her hands. "Alright Sabrina's crystal, prepare to meet your maker!"

Sabrina fell into Nell's arms, and as she comforted her sister, Nell recalled that Sabrina was terrified of enclosed spaces. She tightened her grip around Sabrina, remembering how Robby and Beth had always locked Sabrina in a closet. And since they came to live in the castle, Sabrina had insisted that her closet door always be open. She could handle a closed door to a point, but after a while, she was prone to panic attacks.

Just like she had with Madeline, Nell took Sabrina in her arms and began rocking her. "It's all right, baby...you're safe..."

"Don't close the door!" Sabrina cried.

"It's times like that I'm glad I'm singing with my door open again," James murmured, recalling that until recently, he'd sung behind a closed door. Sabrina always tried to get him to open it and sing for her, but he always said no.

He should've known it was a bad idea with the dents Sabrina had left from kicking the door with her shoes.

Her fear of closed doors also explained why she never liked Elsa and Anna's story all that well.

"Sabrina, it's okay," James knelt down to her level. "I'm singing with my door open again. I've been doing it for a few months now."

"Don't close the door," Sabrina pleaded.

"I promise not to," James agreed, "Unless Dad's concentrating on some kind of royal business or he needs quiet."

"That's all right, sine you're trying to be considerate," Bianca agreed. "But you shouldn't have hidden your talent for singing."

"I was embarrassed about losing my voice at my birth mother's funeral," James admitted. "I swore I'd never sing in public again, but I was finally convinced to start doing it again."

"And we're so happy you decided to sing in public again," Nell smiled as Aleena's staff glowed again.

"Last one!" Alenna yelled with a smile.

"Yay!" Elena and Gabby cheered, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Good thing," Ambre muttered, purring over to Nell. "No more screaming for me to hear."

"We're sorry, buddy, we never meant to make you upset with all of that," Sandra said as she picked him up and stroked him.

"Poor little guy...but we still don't know who's responsible for this," Robert agreed, stroking him as he motioned for her to go to the back of the room.

"I'd say Cedric was, but he's in that final crystal, and he's been with us the whole time," Roland added, trying to hold in his sneeze.

"Let's go to the back of the room, bud," Sandra murmured, carrying Ambre to the back.

"Don't worry, Ambre, we play some more, right?" Elena asked, stroking him.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think it was Ezekiel," Patricia added, "But he's been out in the stables, and working around the castle, so he wouldn't have time to do this." She looked toward Aleena. "But I wonder about something. Aleena, what were you doing before all this started?"

"Your Majesty, I was in my workshop all day. I was setting up my illusions for the feast," Aleena replied, "Besides, I never work with crystals this big. I make little crystal pendants that I enchant with an ability, but that's it."

"That's true," Patricia smiled. "I'm sorry, Aleena; I didn't mean to sound like I was accusing you. I just want to make sure we rule out everyone."

"I know," Aleena smiled as she broke Cedric's crystal prison.

"Mr. Cedric!" Sofia cried, running up to him. "You okay?"

"You know who was bad Mr. Magic man?" Elena asked, tugging on his robe.

"Give him a minute, Elena; Mister Cedric just had to relive one of his worst fears," Sofia said, patting her mentor's back. "Mister Cedric, it's okay. We all forgave you for what you did with the Order of the Wand, and Dad agreed to give you a second chance."

"Yes...second chance," Cedric panted, "Thank you again, your Majesty...I'm glad you're here, Sofia..."

"Everyone deserves a second chance," Sofia smiled as she hugged him.

"And as you said, we all make mistakes. Including myself," Roland recalled, giving his old friend a smile.

"Now tell?" Elena wondered, seeing Cedric calm down.

"I'd say it was Greylock, but we'd have to be absolutely certain," Cedric mused.

"Greylock?" Aleena looked surprised. "He would be the closest one I'd suspect."

"You're right," Cedric nodded. "Morgana's only interested in mirrors, so she wouldn't want to work with crystals. According to what Princess Sofia told me, Baron von Rocha uses his music sheets to steal others' talent, and Grimtrix hasn't been seen since he left Hexley Hall."

"And he told me that apart from the Medusa stones, he'd never use any sort of crystals," Cedric agreed.

"You mean Greylock's responsible for this?" James asked, "Well, there goes his chance to have a larger role in an Andrew Harmon story!"

"Maybe so, James, but we'll have to catch him in the act if he's still here," Roland smirked.

"Girls?" Nell asked, looking around for Elena and Gabby. "Girls?! Oh they're in double, no triple timeouts when I find them!"

"Helen, they probably heard us talking and decided to help us out," Aleena assured with a smile.

"But they're three and only know their alphabet! How can they face off against magic?!" Florence wondered, almost angry with the girls running off unsupervised.

"At least the necklaces I gave them have a protective enchantment on it," Aleena reasoned. "They won't fall under any spells anyone casts."

"That's good, but all the magic in the world won't stop me from getting them back!" Nell growled.

Taking Bobby Lee's sword again but promising that she'll bring it back, Nell ran with the weapon in hand.

"If you dare mess with my babies dear sir you're in so much trouble!" Nell yelled, seeing a sense of magic not too far from where she was.

"Oh, my dear, am I supposed to be frightened by this?" Greylock smirked, holding Elena and Gabby up.

"Mama!" Elena wailed.

That was all it took for Nell to fly into a blind rage, and she ran toward Greylock.

"Nell!" Sandra called, running up to her, "Need some backup? I know a few spells myself, thanks to Aleena."

"Thanks, Sandra," Nell smiled.

"I'll help you as well, Miss Helen," Cedric agreed.

"Me too!" Sofia ran up to them.

"First, Accio Elena and Gabby!" Cedric aimed his wand at the girls.

Sofia and Sandra caught the girls, and ran them to Bianca.

"Thanks, girls! And thank you, Cedric," Nell smiled. She scowled a second later. "Now, Mister Greylock, you're about to see an angry mama bear!"

"She's putting her hair up!" Bobby Lee cautioned, seeing a light pink ribbon in Nell's hair. "Poor man's a goner."

"I won't be sorry for my rage that you'll see here!" Nell growled, turning towards Elena and Gabby. "You mess with my cubs, you mess with me!"

"Madeline Elizabeth, Sabrina Marie, avert your eyes!" Bianca turned the younger girls away.

"You too, Zoe!" Patricia covered Zoe's eyes.

The three girls had just turned away when Nell let out a feral war-cry and ran at Greylock.

As she ran, she saw Sandra out of the corner of her eye. She raised her own training wand and shouted, "Accio Greylock's wand!"

"Well done, Princess Sandra!" Cedric congratulated her.

"Aleena and the fairies at school have taught me well!" Sandra grinned.

"They certainly have young princess," Florence commented with a smile before turning to Bobby Lee. "I've never seen Helen this furious."

"Oh me and the guys have. When we rescued Helen, the first thing she did to Jimmy was tackle him to the ground and had beaten him into unconsciousness. Which made it easier for us to take him back to the castle!" Bobby Lee recalled with a chuckle before hearing his wife's anger. "Go sweetheart! Give him all his worth!"

Amber was also covering her eyes as the fight went on. She looked back and went back to where Ambre was. "Can I stay with you, Ambre?" she asked.

"Of course; we're friends, and in a way, we share a name," Ambre purred.

Amber smiled as she stroked him; Ambre's name had been Amber first, but Sandra changed it when she learned that he was a boy. It was still nice of her to name the cat after her at first.

As she felt the cat purr in her arms, the fighting stopped as Nell caught her breath, her posture kneeling towards the ground.

"Helen Genevieve, you alright?" Bianca asked, immediately at her side.

"I-I'm fine," Nell muttered before putting a hand to her stomach in pain.

"Let me look," Aleena waved her wand over Nell's stomach. "It's nothing serious." she announced a few moments later. "You just suffered a few cramps that are triggered by being trapped in fear crystals."

"Will she be all right?" Bianca asked.

"If she takes this potion, she'll be fine," Aleena replied, waving her wand and giving a vial to not just Nell, but to everyone in the room. "Drink that, and you'll feel better. This also keeps everyone who was in the fear crystals from suffering side effects."

"Wait. Is there Pelicant Eggshell Powder in this? I can't take that stuff," James spoke up.

"No," Aleena assured him, "This doesn't call for that ingredient."

James nodded as he and everyone who had been in the crystals drank the contents.

"Will this keep us from getting cramps too, Miss Aleena?" Roland asked.

"It should, your Majesty," Aleena replied, "I pride myself on magical remedies."

"Thank you Aleena for helping Helen Genevieve," Bianca said as Nell lifted up her hand. "While it cured her cramps, it looks like she got wounded while in her fight."

"How? The man didn't have a weapon beside his wand!" Bobby Lee yelled, running over to his wife.

"Mommy got a boo boo?" Elena asked in worry.

"It's nothing serious, sweetheart," Aleena assured her, using her wand to wrap up Nell's hand and create a sling for her. "She just sprained her wrist when she was fighting Greylock. She'll be fine in a few days."

"I kiss Mommy's boo boo and make it better," Elena said as she kissed Nell's wrist.

"Me too," Gabby followed suit.

"That's a good cure, but she also needs to rest," Aleena smiled.

"But I'll miss our first Hallows Eve as a family!" Nell pouted, looking ready to burst into tears.

"Not to mention making your altar of Lydia and Edward," Bianca reminded her with a sympathetic smile.

"Wait so you're celebrating Halloween and Day of the Dead all in one day?" Sofia asked in surprise.

"You don't have to miss anything," Robert assured her. "When we celebrate holidays in Orillia, families decorate early, and they often keep the decorations up for a few extra days, or weeks. That way, if they're away during a holiday, the decorations are still up, and they have a kind of make up celebration."

"Like a do-over?" James asked.

"Exactly," Robert smiled. "It won't take long for your injury to heal, as long as Aleena, Miss Florence, and Miss Parkington are here to take care of you, and you rest, so even if you miss the actual day, you can have a sort of do-over celebration."

"And as for your altar, what's to stop you from making one here?" Sandra agreed. "Zoe has tons of decorative stuff she likes playing with, and you could use some of that. I think there also might be a book on Day of the Dead in our library. I can go get it when we get Greylock."

"I know it won't be the same, but we want you to have your traditions," Patricia agreed.

"Thanks but it's my very first Day of the Dead celebration. I wanted to have the girls know their grandparents so I wrote Princess Elena and that's what she suggested," Nell explained with a weak smile.

"Mommy writing friends with Elena?" Elena asked with a smile. "Why not me?"

"You were sleeping when I wrote the letter," Nell explained. "I didn't want to wake you up, but I wanted to surprise you."

"Okay...we see Elena?" Elena asked.

"I'll have to write her to come here instead of Enchancia, but I think we can make it work," Nell smiled, "And if you want to write her a little note, I know James would love to help you write one."

"Yeah!" Elena cheered. She smiled at the thought of seeing her hero again after their last visit. "And I get to be her!"

"Sort of!" Bobby Lee chuckled with a smile. "You're just missing the hair and whole being trapped in an amulet for a long time!"

"I don't want anyone trapped in anything after today!" Nell shuddered, biting her lip. "Especially if it ends with them well doing something childish. That they thought they weren't doing. Like I did. The birds scared me so much that I had an accident like one of the girls, like I was four all over again. I was so embarrassed when Aleena had let me out that I just wanted to hide."

"Don't give it another thought, sweetheart," Bianca said soothingly, "Remember, I was using language I never use when I was blaming myself for Jimmy kidnapping you and your sisters."

"We didn't even know you had an accident at all," Bobby Lee agreed.

"That's because Aleena was there to clean it up. She said she wouldn't tell anyone, but I just did," Nell sighed.

"What happened wasn't your fault, honey," Florence said as she gave her a hug.

"Thank you all for being so understanding," Nell smiled. She frowned as it all came to her. "I just can't believe myself."

"Helen Genevieve, remember your first night after the geese incident and you came to me because you were so upset about your parents finding out you wetting the bed?" Bianca recalled with a small whisper. "They weren't upset and understood why."

"I remember. Mama just kept cuddling me and offering me to sleep with her and Papa while he went to wash my sheets," Nell whispered back with a chuckle.

"And when he came back, they sang those silly songs to make you feel better," Bianca smiled.

Nell smiled. "Even before I met James, I learned that music makes everything better!"

"Hey!" James pouted, playing crossing his arms as Elena spotted Greylock.

"Mommy, Daddy, mean man um sleeping!" Elena giggled, clapping her hands.

"So he is," Bobby Lee smirked. "Let's get him."

"I have an idea," Cedric whispered, "Miss Aleena, follow me."

"What do you plan to do?" Robert asked.

"Anything that doesn't involve murder I hope," Florence muttered, crossing her arms.

"We assure you Miss Florence that it'll be nothing like that," Cedric assured her, kissing her hand.

"Of course not," Aleena agreed, "I always got so squeamish around blood!"

"You mentioned that you used your fountain," Cedric continued, "Perhaps we could use that, as well as my Morph-o-Mirrors?"

"That sounds like fun!" Sofia grinned.

"It should be," Cedric smirked, "At least, for all of us...Greylock, I don't know, but we should try it."

"I agree! I can summon my fountain from my tower while you set up your mirrors," Aleena grinned.

"Pretty!" Elena and Gabby giggled, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Well look at it this way Helen. They're out of your stomach now so you won't look like a whale this time!" Bobby Lee chuckled, avoiding a swat from Nell's free hand.

"Robert, are you being nice to Helen?" Florence asked.

"Yes, Mother," Bobby Lee smiled.

"I beg to differ," Bianca frowned as Aleena cast her spell.

When the fountain appeared in front of them, Nell asked, "May I?"

Aleena nodded, so Nell took up a handful of water and splashed Bobby Lee in the face.

"Let's splash Daddy!" Elena giggled as Bobby Lee wiped water out of his eyes.

"Maybe later, Love Bug; let's see what Aleena wants to do with the fountain first," Nell suggested.

"Aw!" Elena pouted, crossing her arms. "No fair!"

"Love Bug maybe we'll do it when Daddy's not looking," Nell promised with a smile. "You heard him call me a whale did you not?"

"Mommy no whale!" Gabby giggled before glancing at the fountain. "Miss Aleena use on bad man?"

"We'll just have to see," Nell smiled.

As Cedric began to set up his Morph-o-Mirrors, Aleena quietly levitated her fountain to the middle of the room. When it was set up, she created smoke to block any exits so Greylock couldn't escape.

"Well done," Cedric smiled at the younger sorceress.

"We'll be able to see Greylock, but he won't be able to see us," Aleena agreed. "Now, Accio Greylock's wand! That way, he won't be able to use his magic on us anymore."

"Nicely done, Aleena," Robert smiled.

"Thank you, your Majesty," Aleena smiled. "Now, shall we wake him up and give him a taste of his own medicine?"

The girls nodded excitedly as Nell tried to grab them so they wouldn't wonder off again.

"Your wrist Helen," Bobby Lee reminded her, giving her the same look he had given her while she was pregnant.

"Robert, I'm injured, not helpless!" Nell pouted like Elena and Gabby often did when not given their way. "You're treating me like you did during my early months of pregnancy! You're not escorting me everywhere!"

"Daddy only did it because he didn't want you to have a missing carriage Mommy!" Elena giggled, not knowing why he actually did it or what a miscarriage was.

"That's enough, both of you!" Bianca murmured, "Now isn't the time or place for this. It's time to wake up Greylock now."

"Yes, Mother," Nell and Bobby Lee said as Aleena got into position.

"Miss Bianca's not Mommy's or Daddy's mommy," Gabby frowned.

"We'll explain later, sweetheart," Miranda assured her.

"He's stirring!" Sofia shouted as Elena looked up at Aleena.

"I help?" Elena asked with a smile.

"You know I did always wanted an apprentice!" Aleena chuckled, having Elena stand close to her. "Now Elena you're a little too young for magic but I got a job for you."

"I splash?" Elena asked, seeing the fountain in front of her.

"Not yet," Aleena smiled. "But don't worry, sweetheart, I'll let you know what I want you to help me with."

"Okay," Elena grinned.

Greylock finally opened his eyes, and was surprised to find himself in a room that was full of smoke.

"Hi mean man! You no see us but we see you!" Elena greeted, her voice echoing through the smoke. "Why you bad mean man? TELL ME!"

"Honey no talking to the smoke. It might be mean to you," Bobby Lee joked with a smile.

Greylock looked around, wondering where the voice had come from. He saw an image of a clown next to him, and a girl with butterfly wings on his other side. "What?" he gasped.

He scrambled to his feet and the images changed. He looked in front of him, and saw a girl dressed as a cat, holding another cat. A little bumblebee was on her other side.

"What's going on here?" he gasped, trying to find his way out of the smoke and getting lost in the maze of disguised people. He thought he stumbled to the door, but he was hit in the face with a spray of perfumed water.

"Bullseye!" Nell's voice echoed with from the smoke.

"Good aim Elena!" Aleena chuckled through the smoke.

"Elena learned that from me! You've got to love the water fights Amber and I had!" James grinned at Amber.

"Hello, Greylock...long time no see," Cedric smirked as the smoke cleared.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Greylock wiped the water off of his face and blinked the smoke out of his eyes. "Ca-card..." he tried to say the word 'Cardtrick', but Cedric magically stopped up his mouth.

"Cedric, we need to know why he did this," Aleena spoke up. However, before she removed the cloth, she waved her wand at Greylock, chanting another spell. "There. Now any time he tries to say any version of your name, he'll get kicked until he says it right."

"Aleena, what would your father say about this?" Patricia smirked.

"He'd agree with me," Aleena smiled.

"Who are you and what have you done with Aleena?" Robert smirked.

"I know where Cedric's coming from when it comes to someone not knowing someone's name or teasing them," Aleena smirked. She whispered to Sandra, "I do that to Ezekiel when he tries to tease you and Zoe. The kicking stops when he apologizes or leaves the room."

Greylock frowned. He liked teasing Cedric, but he didn't want to get kicked for it. He spat the cloth out and protested, "But Hat-tri-ouch!" he groaned as he felt something kick him from behind. "Breadsti-ouch! All right! Fine! But Cedric! It was just like our days at school!"

"You mean, you were a jerk then, and you were a jerk now?" Sandra challenged him. "I'd say something stronger, but there are kids in the room."

"They've heard worse than the word 'jerk', Princess, trust me!" Bianca chuckled.

"Bad words?" Elena asked in confusion.

"Kind of. Like Mommy and Daddy's mouth," Florence admitted with a smile.

"It was only for fun!" Greylock tried to protest. "You know, in the spirit of the season?"

"You mean trapping us in those crystals and traumatizing us with our worst fears was fun?" Robert challenged, waving the guards in. "Guards! Seize him!"

"You bad man!" Elena scolded. "You scared Mommy and made Daddy mad!"

"And this little stunt of yours just cost you a bigger role in my next Andrew Harmon story," James added as Greylock was dragged from the room.

"Greylock was included in one of your stories?" Nell asked.

"As a hired goon," James explained, "He had one line, and that was it."

"Good for him!" Bianca chuckled with a smile. "I would never want to relive my fear ever again!"

"Me neither!" Nell shuddered as Elena tugged at her dress. "Yes baby?"

"Cost room!" Elena giggled, jumping up and down. "Elena cost room!"

"Yes, sweetheart, we can work on your costume now," Nell smiled.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Robert agreed. "Zoe, would you like to help Elena with her costume?"

"Yeah!" Zoe cheered.

"And now that Greylock's gone, I'll go to the castle library and get that book I was talking about," Sandra agreed.

"For Day of the Dead?" Bobby Lee asked.

"That's the one I'm thinking of," Sandra nodded. "Do you want to come with me? We can also see if there are some new fairy tales Elena and Gabby might like for their bedtime stories."

"That sounds like a very nice idea," Florence smiled, "I'd like to come with you, if you don't mind."

"As Queen Miranda says, the more the merrier," Sandra smiled as she led them out.

"What Day of Dead?" Elena asked in confusion.

"It's a holiday honey like Halloween or Wassailia," Nell explained, taking her hand.

"Why dead?" Gabby wondered with a pout.

"It's a way to honor people who have passed away," Nell replied as Bobby Lee and Sandra came back a short time later. "We talk about our loved ones, and share memories."

"It says here that people also make altars for their loved ones," Sandra agreed, showing Elena a picture of an altar in the book she'd found. "They put pictures and flowers on it, and little decorations."

"Pretty!" Elena smiled.

"And there's lots of things to eat during the celebration as well," Bianca agreed.

"Do you need help making any of it, Miss Bianca?" Sandra asked, watching Zoe come down with her box of craft supplies.

"I'd appreciate that," Bianca smiled. "I take it you have a cookbook with the recipes I need?"

"Right here," Sandra grinned, holding up a second book.

"That will do nicely," Bianca smiled, turning to Miranda, Nell and Florence, "Well, ladies, and Princess Sandra, let's get to work."

"Mama and I loved making witch cookies!" Nell recalled with a chuckle. "Together it was so much fun!"

"I remember those cookies. Especially when Madeline Elizabeth and Sabrina Marie started teething, trying to grab them with their little chubby hands!" Bianca laughed with a smile.

"They must have been big enough for them to hold in both hands," Sandra observed.

"Oh yes," Bianca smiled. "They'd put the hats on their heads and pretend to be witches."

"Do you have any cooking memories, Princess Sandra?" Florence asked.

Sandra bit her lip. "One bad memory, that's for sure," She led everyone away from the ingredients and sat down on a stool, drawing her left foot out of its shoe. "See that?" she asked, pointing at a huge scar on her foot.

"Oh my goodness! What happened?" Bianca asked.

"Princess Sandra got a boo boo?" Elena asked.

"A big boo boo," Nell nodded. "How did it happen?"

"A few years ago, I spilled hot liquid on my foot when I helped in the kitchen," Sandra sighed. "I wasn't barefoot; I just wore stockings, but I was also feeling dizzy as I was helping to carry some hot soup the chefs made to a tray. It spilled all over my foot and the chefs ran me to the bathroom and put it under cold water right away. Mom and Dad were upset, but they helped me with the recovery, and even a little physical therapy."

"Down with bad foot, up with good!" Gabby recited, repeating what Baileywick told her.

"That's right, Gabby," Sandra nodded, "And since then, that's been a cardinal rule: wear shoes when you're cooking, and don't cook when you're sick or dizzy."

"That's good advice, Princess, but do you have any good memories of cooking?" Florence asked.

"Sure I do," Sandra smiled. "I make apple Danishes for Sir Avery's birthday, or when he needs some kind of sweet snack, and everyone loves these ginger cookies I make."

"You'll have to make some for our celebration," Nell smiled.

She knelt down beside her daughters who were drooling over the thought of cookies. "Girls, how would you like to help me with some witch cookies?"

"Cost room?" Gabby wondered, hoping that it was at least something other than being a princess like her sister.

"Of course, sweetheart," Nell smiled, "We can work on your costumes while the cookies are baking."

"Wear shoes!" Elena pointed at everyone's feet, and noticed that they were all wearing shoes.

"Gabby, I know Elena's going to be Princess Elena, but what's your costume?" Sandra asked.

"I didn't think of one," Gabby admitted, hanging her head low. "Mommy let us pick out our cost rooms this year but it's hard."

"Last year they were Anna and Elsa. I'm still upset with Elena for throwing her shoes at me because she thought she couldn't get cold like Elsa!" Madeline pouted before she giggled. "But Elena lost in the end."

"The year before that Snow White and Cinderella!" Bianca added with a chuckle, smiling at Nell who blushed.

"What about their first?" Zoe asked, jumping up and down.

"I seem to recall that they were Jasmine and Aurora, or as you know her, Sleeping Beauty," Bianca smiled.

"I named my kitty Snow White!" Elena cheered, clapping her hands.

"Yes, she was your favorite princess at the time," Bianca smiled. "But you decided to be a different princess first."

"No! She still my favorite but Elena's number one!" Elena giggled, jumping up and down.

"And I tried to make angel costumes for their first Halloween but I couldn't do it. My skills with sewing were rusty," Nell remembered with embarrassment. "Not to mention I was tired and covered with baby spit up because two certain sisters of mine thought it would be a great idea to throw their nieces in the air after I had just finished with feeding them."

Madeline and Sabrina looked guiltily at each other. They had only wanted to play with their new nieces, and they didn't know that they had only just finished eating. "We're sorry, Nell," Sabrina apologized, Madeline nodding at her side.

"I'm not mad about it anymore, girls," Nell smiled, "But let's all be thankful I don't have to do that anymore!"

A short time later, when the cookies were in the oven, Zoe invited Nell, Madeline, Sabrina, Elena, and Gabby to her room where she pointed out a large box full of costumes. "You can look through that and see if there's something you like for your costume, Gabby," she offered. "You might also find something for your costume, Elena."

"That's very generous of you, Zoe," Florence smiled.

"Yes, but these costumes won't fit Elena Lydia or Gabby Anna," Bianca pointed out.

"When they find something, we'll take it to Aleena, and she can shrink it to fit them," Zoe suggested.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Bianca smiled.

"Go on! Pick something!" Nell encouraged, gently pushing Gabby forward.

"It can be anything. Like when your daddy and mommy started being friends, they decided to do Belle and the beast!" Bianca recalled with a chuckle.

"Don't remind me. All that fur!" Florence groaned, looking towards her son. "But someone just couldn't costume without it!"

"How about this?" Gabby smiled as she drew something out.

Nell and Bobby Lee looked amazed at Gabby's discovery. She had found a long fish-tail. "Well, how about that!" Nell smiled.

"We can cut holes in the bottom so you can walk in it, or try to make some kind of modifications for you," Florence agreed; she was never one to back down from a sewing challenge.

"Mermaid!" Elena jumped up and down.

"Ariel! That's a great idea, Gabby!" Sofia smiled.

"I don't think you've been her yet!" Nell agreed.

Gabby shook her head but frown.

"She's a princess too," Gabby muttered, crossing her arms.

"You don't like princesses no more?" Elena asked in surprise.

"I like princesses, but Ariel was a fish first. Mommy don't like fishes," Gabby looked sad.

"Oh, honey...is this because I got seasick?" Nell asked. "No, sweetheart, mermaids didn't have anything to do with that."

"But Ariel couldn't sing, just like James," Gabby looked at James.

"Sweetheart, James can sing, but are you thinking of when he sang behind a closed door?" Bianca asked.

"Gabby, I was embarrassed about losing my voice when I had to sing at my birth mother's funeral," James explained. "She loved singing so much, and I was really upset when I couldn't sing that last song for her. I thought she'd be so upset too, but after a while, I learned that she'd never me to held what I said, and it was okay to have my door open when I sang."

"I like it when you sing kitty songs," Elena smiled as she hugged him and offered him Kitty.

James make Kitty nuzzle Elena's cheek as if giving her a kiss. "Maybe we'll sing a kitty song later."

"Okay!" Elena shouted with a smile before turning to Gabby. "Why you wanna be a fishy?"

"I don't know!" Gabby muttered with a giggle. "Mommy and Daddy don't got a cost room!"

"We'll find a costume later, sweetie; I don't think any of the things Zoe has will fit us," Nell smiled.

"Miss Magic Lady can make something fit you!" Elena suggested.

"If they can find something they like, or if they describe it, I can make it that way," Aleena suggested.

"Sure, we can try something like that," Bobby Lee agreed.

"I don't see why not," Nell added.

"Just like when you were kids!" Florence chuckled with a smile.

"Except a little bit older," Bianca reminded her with a wink.

Aleena waved her wand over the fish tail. Two holes appeared in the bottom, and she had Gabby slip into the tail and stick her feet through the holes. "How about that?" she asked. "I didn't make the tail too big so you can walk around and not trip."

"That's a good idea, Miss Aleena," Nell smiled. "Here, Gabby, come with me and Aleena, and let's see how that fits you."

"Why Miss Magic Lady coming?" Gabby asked.

"Just in case I need to make adjustments to the tail or something," Aleena smiled.

Meanwhile, Bobby Lee had found a fedora in the box of clothes. "Please let there be a second one...yes! And I found two pairs of sunglasses! Helen!" he called, going after her and Gabby, "I found our costumes!"

"A fedora and sunglasses?!" Nell asked with a chuckle.

"It's been so long since we've dressed as a duo!" Bobby Lee pouted, before handing her a fedora. "Guess what we are."

"Detectives?" Nell guessed with a sly smile.

"No," Bobby Lee grinned. "Even better! One of the greatest movie duos of all time!" He found a small paintbrush, took Nell's hand, and painted her name on her knuckles.

When Bobby Lee released her and started painting on his own hand, Nell couldn't help but laugh. "The Blues Brothers? Really, Robert?"

"You two used to love that movie," Florence remembered.

"Oh yes. And every time I scolded Helen Genevieve or Robert Lee, they always said, 'I'm sorry...Penguin!'" Bianca smirked.

"That's a favorite movie around here, too," Robert grinned.

"Except I'm a woman so I'm wondering how this would work!" Nell smirked as Elena tugged on her dress.

"We play with paint?" Elena asked with a smile.

"As long as it washes off," Nell smirked.

"Of course," Bobby Lee grinned. "Only I'm going to be in charge of decorations."

"Okay," Elena agreed. "But Daddy, Mommy's a girl. She can't be a brother."

"So we'll be the Blues Brother and Sister!" Bobby Lee shrugged.

Nell rolled her eyes playfully as Bianca and Florence chuckled, remembering the duos the two had done as children.

"Helen Genevieve, it's not as bad as your first duo costume together!" Bianca chuckled with a smile.

"Oh yes! Madeline and her little bad hat friend!" Florence chuckled with a smile.

"What friend?" Madeline asked in confusion, looking around.

"You remember Pepito, don't you?" Florence asked.

"Not really," Madeline shook her head.

"Really? You don't remember you reforming him to be good?" Nell asked playing along. "You didn't remember anything about Paris?"

"No. I don't even know where it is!" Madeline pouted as she saw her family trying not to laugh.

"Maybe it happened before you were kidnapped," James suggested, "I don't think I've ever heard your friend's name either."

"And as for Paris," Sandra held up a book of maps, "It's right here." She opened the book to a map of Europe and pointed out the location. "Wow! Madeline, look at all these pictures! Landmarks, people, and most important, recipes!"

"And look at the costumes these dancers wore," Amber agreed. "I call that as my costume!"

"Me too!" Madeline smiled.

Nell smiled, gathering her in a hug as Madeline couldn't help but smile back.

"You got my name from a book? Didn't you?" Madeline asked with a laugh. "That's why you were asking questions I don't know about!"

"Surprise!" Nell grinned.

"Will you read me the book again now?" Madeline asked.

"Maybe," Nell smiled. "Maybe if we read the book again, we'll remember the stories again."

"But enough about books Helen Genevieve. Right now we have to get ready!" Bianca chuckled, wrapping an arm around the two girls.

"For what?" Gabby asked in confusion.

"Nap nap time for grow ups?" Elena guessed with a giggle.

"I think after all the excitement of being trapped in fear crystals and capturing Greylock, we're all entitled to a little rest," Bianca agreed.

"And after we rest, we can set up your Day of the Dead altar," Florence suggested.

"That's a good idea," Nell smiled.

"But Elena and me are fine!" Gabby pouted, frowning at Nell and Bobby Lee. "We don't need a nap! We didn't get in that crystal thingy!"

"And Mommy And I are happy about it," Bobby Lee assured her with a hug. "But-"

"But what?" Elena wondered, looking for her kitty.

"But you two did so much for us, helping everyone who was trapped in the crystals, offering comfort, and being there when we needed you," Nell smiled, finding Kitty and giving it to Elena.

She smiled as Ambre pawed Elena's dress and asked, "Won't you lie down with me for a minute, Elena?"

"Okay. I do like kitty naps," Elena smiled, petting Ambre.

"And later, you, Gabby, and I can play," Ambre purred.

"She responds so well to kitties," Bianca smiled.

"I know," Nell agreed before finding a heart pendant around her neck. "What? How did I get this?"

"You're not the only one," Bobby Lee muttered, feeling a moon pendant around his neck. "Hey! This looks great on me!"

"Miss Magic Lady gave you those when we all saw her pretty fountain," Elena replied, showing them her red diamond pendant.

"I got one too!" Gabby piped up, showing them her blue star pendant.

"I have one as well," Florence showed them her yellow sun-shaped pendant.

"Look at this!" Madeline showed them a green swirl-shaped pendant.

"Me too!" Sabrina pointed at her orange triangle pendant.

"Well, how about this," Bianca smiled, seeing a purple circle pendant around her neck. "Thank you, Miss Aleena."

"I'm glad you like them," Aleena smiled. "I told the girls that they can speak to animals now, and so can all of you. I only enchant pendants like these for my friends. But speaking to animals is the only talent this grants you."

"That's perfectly all right, my dear, and we all thank you very much," Bianca smiled.

"Yes. Now maybe we can understand the horses that Robert rides with his guard buddies!" Florence chuckled, kissing her son's cheek. "Especially the older one."

"Benjamin?" Bobby Lee guessed with a laugh. "He's gentle and sweet around me!"

"Then the last time you rode him, why did he tell you to-" Sofia was about to finish her sentence, but Miranda put a hand over her mouth and pointed at Elena and Gabby. Sofia took her hand away and grinned. "Mom! I was going to ask him, why did Benjamin tell you to take it easy around him and not to make him jump so high! What did you think I was going to say?"

"Don't ever scare me like that again!" Miranda tried to sound stern, but she couldn't help but muss Sofia's hair. "We're all new to having pendants like these!" she pointed at the pink heart pendant she was wearing.

"Sorry, Mom," Sofia grinned.

She smiled at Bobby Lee. "You could tell him not to eat your homemade sweaters around Wassailia time anymore once we get back."

"Horsies like Daddy?" Elena asked with a giggle.

"What their names?" Gabby added, shuddering a little.

"You know Saffron, Minimus, Echo, and Windfall," Bobby Lee started, "But there's also Benjamin, Kevin, Bob, Stuart, and Dave."

"Oh yes, Dave," Roland smirked. "He's been here since I was James' age!"

"Is Dave a horse we should be worried about?" Bianca asked.

"Not anymore," Roland assured her. "He's mellowed out in his old age, but in his youth he was quite a prankster."

"How about the rest?" Nell wondered, seeing a familiar look of fear on Gabby's face.

"They better be friends so Gabby isn't scared!" Elena pouted before running to Aleena, Zoe and Sandra.

"All the horses were quite well behaved, but they had their own personalities," Roland assured her. "I don't remember the name of the horse Gabby rode that day, but the man in charge of them assured me that he won't bring him next time Amber wants to have winged horses at her party."

James shuddered at the memory of the horse. His own horse, Echo, was bigger than the one Gabby had gotten on, and he'd been afraid that he'd hurt her when he yanked her onto him. He was even crying harder than Gabby when they landed, but mostly because he had been so scared. However, he was happy that he didn't have to relive that moment when he had been trapped in his Fear Crystal.

Gabby ran to hug James tightly before looking up at him.

"James fishy too?" Gabby wondered with a smile.

"I'm still trying to decide on my costume," James replied.

"You be mystery singer again?" Elena suggested.

"You mean the Secret Singer?" James asked, "No, everyone's seen that outfit, which is actually my squire outfit, and now that I don't need to disguise myself, I don't need it this time. Besides, I didn't bring it with me."

"What about your Andrew character?" Elena asked, thinking that James' spy character might wear something different than James.

"He wears whatever I wear," James said as he went over to the box and rummaged through it. "Wait. Black cape, black hat, black mask, fake sword-brilliant! I found my costume!"

"James, my children are confused about what you are!" Nell chuckled, seeing her daughters look at him funny.

"Not funny Mommy!" Elena pouted with crossed arms.

"It's that Zorro character from that movie you and Bobby Lee saw a few weeks ago," James grinned.

"I did something like that last year," Sandra agreed. "Only my sword was real."

"What about you, Sandra?" Nell asked.

"I've thought about this," Sandra said as she drew out a blue cloak with a hood. "This is from a book series I like. The characters are called Bluecapes."

"I love that series!" Sabrina smiled. "Who's your Animal Guide?"

"I think we both know the answer to that one, Sabrina!" Sandra grinned as she picked up Ambre.

"Kitty!" Elena giggled, petting Ambre gently.

"How long has Elena liked cats?" Ambre purred, liking how Elena was petting him.

"Since she could speak!" Nell chuckled with a smile, turning to her husband. "But it wasn't as adorable as when she called Bobby Lee Da da, just a few weeks after she was diagnosed with autism."

"I'm her Da-da now, anyway," Bobby Lee smiled.

"I love you, Daddy!" Elena smiled, hugging him.

"We love you too, sweetheart," Bobby Lee smiled back.

"How about you, Sabrina?" Nell asked, "Do you have any ideas for your costume?"

Sabrina nodded her head excitedly as Madeline looked down at the floor.

Like Gabby before her, she didn't know what she wanted to be but wanted to do her own costume.

Like Sandra, she liked reading, so she also decided to find a character from one of her favorite books. However, all the choices for princesses had been taken, thanks to Elena and Gabby, but she didn't hold it against them. She was glad that they had found inspiration from their favorite princesses.

Plus with them being little, they would have a fit picking something else.

"What we do now?" Elena asked, wanting to be held.

Nell obliged, taking her on her lap. "Well, we could start decorating...where are we having the party?"

"The ballroom," Patricia smiled.

"We could start by helping decorate the ballroom for the party," Nell smiled.

"What can we put in?" Sofia asked.

"Hopefully nothing too fancy!" Florence chuckled as Bianca nodded in agreement.

"Why not? Bigger is better!" Amber expressed with a smile.

"Kitty don't think so," Elena muttered with a frown.

"Amber, do you want another Sweetheart Pie incident?" James asked.

Amber shuddered, remembering the lesson James and Sofia taught her, which was disguised as a prank. "Don't remind me! That pie was terrible!"

"But it taught you a lesson, bigger's not always better," Nell replied.

"And you should let people who have their own plans for a party use them," Sofia agreed.

"And if you want to help with a party, you should ask first before taking over," Sandra added.

"We should have kitties at the party!" Elena giggled before seeing the people around her look confused with her plan. "Spooky kitties?"

"Elena, sweetheart, Halloween isn't just with kitties," Miranda explained with a smile.

"We can have some kitties for you," Patricia suggested. "I saw that you were a little nervous around the fake bats and spiders, but maybe if we have some less scary decorations, how would that be?"

"Okay," Elena nodded. She ran to Patricia with open arms. "Love you Queen!"

"Elena, that's sweet but not everyone with a crown is named King or Queen," Madeline said, making her frown.

"She'll learn the names in her own time, Madeline," Nell assured her.

"Elena, which kitty would look best on this window?" Zoe asked before Elena could have a meltdown.

"This kitty!" Elena smiled, finding an orange colored cat.

"Thank you for the distraction, Zoe!" Nell smiled.

"Anytime!" Zoe laughed before seeing Elena take the orange colored cat for herself.

"Kitties mine! Kitties mine!" Elena sung, walking out of the room to find some more kitties.

"Let her play with it," Patricia assured Nell, who looked ready to go after her. "Sandra used to do the same thing with those, as well as some of our Wassalia decorations."

"Carry them around?" Nell smiled.

"Oh yes. She played with some of them so much that I finally gave them to her," Patricia smiled.

"Those tiny little angels live on my bookshelf now," Sandra grinned.

"Can I see them?" Elena asked, coming back with the plush cat.

"Sure, but like I said, they're really tiny, and they might get lost or be seen as a choking hazard," Sandra agreed, leading her and Nell to her room.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Now Elena, Love Bug, no touching," Nell warned with a smile, taking Elena by the hand.

"Why? What if it pretty?" Elena asked with a giggle.

"Even it was pretty, it would break," Nell explained with a smile.

"So? Do you kiss it better?" Elena asked with a frown.

"No, I'd take it to Aleena and have her fix it with her magic," Sandra explained. She went over to her bookshelf and picked up three little angel figures that fit in the palm of her hand.

"Those are cute!" Madeline smiled.

"They kind of look like the angels we have back home," Amber agreed. "I always loved playing with those too."

"Sandra, while we're looking at these Wassalia decorations, tell them about the carolers that used to grace our mantel," Patricia added.

Sandra frowned. "There's nothing much to tell. I just never liked those statues, and one by one, they met with an unfortunate accident."

"Oh, sure," Bobby Lee smirked, giving her a wink, "an 'accident!'"

"Oh, like you never had an ongoing fight with your Wassalia decorations!" Sandra smirked back.

"Well no. None of us have," Nell smirked, turning to Bobby Lee. "But my husband did hit a teen on the head with his mother's centerpiece piece when he was eight!"

"Bad Daddy!" Elena shouted, tugging at his pants leg. "You go in the corner and stay there!"

"Oh, I did, Love Bug," Bobby Lee smiled, "I had to stay in the corner for an hour, then in my room for a week, and when that was over, Bianca, your mommy, and I had to hunt all over Dunwiddie to find a replacement!"

"But luckily they found one that looked like it," Florence added. "Robert had to write me a letter of apology, and read it, and when he gave the new centerpiece to me, I finally forgave him."

"Good Daddy!" Elena smiled.

"But it was for a sense of defense, Florence," Bianca recalled with a smile. "You've forgotten about those teen bandits that caused such a stir in the village for months?"

"How could I not! They're probably still in the dungeon to this day because of Robert!" Florence chuckled, messing with Bobby Lee's hair.

"Even though I was too late in making up for my mistake, I'm making sure that history doesn't repeat itself with those guys!" Bobby Lee grinned.

"And they'll think about it every day for the rest of their lives!" Bianca smiled.

"I'm sure they will," Robert agreed. "But something Sandra doesn't know is that I had Aleena's father fix those figurines that she broke-"

"You mean accidentally dropped?" Sandra asked sweetly.

"And put an unbreakable charm on them last year," Robert continued, giving her a mock glare, but softening it by mussing her hair, "They're now on a high shelf in my closet, but they'll go in a room Sandra doesn't go in, so she doesn't have to see them."

"Why don't you like the singers?" Elena asked.

Sandra shrugged. "I don't know. Something about them just rubbed me the wrong way. Don't get me wrong; I love singing and music, but I just never liked those figurines."

Elena nodded softly, sort of understanding what Sandra was speaking of before Bianca took her hand.

"I know in the spirit of Halloween all of us grown ups and older children want to tell stories of ghosts and other hauntings, but with Elena Lydia here having a big imagination, I think we should wait until after she's put to bed to tell them," Bianca suggested as Nell and Bobby Lee nodded in agreement.

"Why?" Gabby asked in confusion. "I thought you liked Elena's in mag a nation."

"I do, sweetheart," Bianca assured her, "I love the stories Elena Lydia makes up. And James' stories are absolutely wonderful! But some of the stories he makes up might be too scary for you two."

"Some ghost stories really aren't that scary," Sandra assured her, "They're based on some of my favorite legends."

"Like the horse and the dog?" Zoe asked, "You used to tell me those stories all the time."

"That's right, Zoe," Sandra nodded. "But even though the story of the Ghost Dog of Khaldun isn't really that scary, I'm just thinking that Gabby might not want to hear it because of, you know, the dog. I might tell you the story later, when she's asleep."

"I love that story!" James grinned as Roland put an arm around him. "Dad used to tell me that one all the time!"

"And the Ghost Horse of Wei-Ling!" Amber smiled. "That's not scary at all!"

"Bianca, you're worse than me when it comes to the twins. Though I do agree with you. Elena and Gabby are too little for some ghost stories and especially ones with hauntings but I wouldn't mind a few of them," Nell admitted, wrapping an arm around Elena. "In fact why don't they tell us a story?"

"That's not a bad idea!" James chuckled before he smiled. "But with spiders and other creepy crawlers."

"No! Bugs yucky!" Elena pouted, crossing her arms.

"Horsie?" Gabby asked. She was still a little nervous about hearing the story Sandra and Amber had in mind. She thought horses were all right, but she didn't want to hear about dogs.

"That's right," Sandra agreed. "A long time ago, a merchant family was sailing back from doing business in a far-off kingdom. They were on the way home when they ran into a storm. As the crew ran around trying to secure the ship, a lot of the animals, including one of the captain's favorites, his white horse, were sent overboard."

"I remember this," Amber agreed. "Mother said the crew had been celebrating, and it got out of hand. Several of the animals drowned. The captain's wife secured their daughter and herself to the mast as the crew tried to get the ship back under control. Survivors of the wreck salvaged what they could."

"The mother and daughter were found alive, just barely," Sandra continued, "The horse, whose name was Ming-Ya, was also alive. The women were taken back to the small rowboat, and the horse was guided to the shallow waters off Wei-Ling, where he made his way to shore."

"A few days later, ships came to rescue the survivors," Amber went on, "But there was no room for the horse in the small boat. There wasn't even a way to get him into the vessel. Ming-Ya was left to his fate on the island."

"The merchant promised to come back for him, and that he wouldn't be forgotten, but he couldn't find a big enough boat, and he couldn't get anyone to help him," Sandra continued, "Since the people always saw Ming-Ya on the shores, they called the place Stallion Island in his honor. And long after he died, people still say they see his ghost on the shore, waiting for his owner to come back for him."

"What a story!" Roland smiled.

"Who's got another one?" Nell asked.

"We tell one?" Gabby asked with a smile.

"But you haven't been read scary stories Gab Gab!" Bobby Lee chuckled with a smile. "But I don't see why not."

"Please Mommy? Grand Mommy? Miss Bianca?" Elena pleaded, seeing the three women look hesitant.

"Oh okay Love Bug," Nell muttered, seeing Elena use the infamous puppy eyes on her.

"I do love your made up stories," Florence added with a smile.

"As do I. Go ahead Elena Lydia!" Bianca finished with a chuckle.

"What story should I tell?" Elena asked.

"How about the one where Snow White got caught in the tree?" Bobby Lee suggested. "I know that's not a particularly scary story, but you were both pretty shaken up."

"At least it's friendly enough for the girls to tell!" Florence chuckled, kissing their cheeks.

"Unlike the time where they woke up to their mother and father without any clothes on days after they had gotten married!" Bianca recalled, making Nell and Bobby Lee blush.

"Story time now!" Gabby yelled, looking towards Elena who smiled. "We're sharing our turn. Like Miss Milly says too."

"Snow White got out of her stable again and ran to us," Elena started. "We played with her until we saw James come up."

"He was going to get Jaggy for his walk so I'd be okay," Gabby recalled. "But when they came out, Jaggy saw something and started chasing it."

"Oh yeah," James murmured, "He saw that squirrel. He actually tugged the leash out of my hands so he could chase it. This was before he and I got really serious about training him as a therapy dog."

"And I wasn't mad about it," Roland assured him, mussing his hair. "I know that even dogs like a little break now and then."

"My story!" Elena shouted.

"It's best that you let these two finish," Nell suggested with a weak smile, glancing at Elena who was turning red.

"Before Elena loses it?" Bobby Lee guessed, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Yes," Nell breathed, seeing Elena calm down. "Go on honey."

"When Jaggy came back to James after he saw the squirrel, he saw a bunny and ran after it," Gabby continued, "It wasn't Sofia's pet cuddle bunny, it was a different one. He didn't act like cuddle bunny, since Sofia says cuddle bunny likes Jaggy."

"Snow White heard Jaggy bark," Elena agreed. "She got scared and ran to James' tree house. We ran after her but she didn't stop until she got inside it."

"We heard Snow White crying 'Meow-meow! Help me! Meow!'" Gabby made Snow White say; of course everyone knew this was before the girls got the pendants that let them talk to animals. "James and Daddy came running up to us."

"I told Snow White don't be scared, they'll get you down," Elena agreed. "James had Daddy hold Jaggy while he went up and got Snow White."

"That's good," Patricia smiled. "Sorry...go on, dears."

"Elena was crying like I was after my horsey ride," Gabby continued. "But James and Daddy sang to her and made her happy again."

"I'm glad everything worked out for you," Robert said when their story was finished. "And did the dog learn his lesson?"

"Oh yeah," James nodded. "I made Jagger apologize to Snow White for scaring her, and she said they were friends again."

"That's good, everything worked out," Patricia smiled, "Who's next for a story?"

"Oh we've got a few!" a familiar voice chuckled, having Elena look up and as she looked up, her pupils enlarged

"Thank you for coming Princess," Nell greeted with a smile. "I just thought maybe tomorrow you would arrive."

"I figured we would come early. For a few days visit," Princess Elena smiled, seeing Elena's mouth dropped. "Surprise!"

"W-Why you here?" Elena wondered, her mind blown as she closed her eyes for a moment. "Mommy did it did she?"

"She did, sweetheart. Helen wrote me a letter a few days ago and said that the royal family was going to visit the kingdom of Orillia," Princess Elena smiled. "She asked me if I'd like to come and surprise you, and of course I said yes."

"Thank you, Mommy!" Elena cheered, leaping into Nell's arms and hugging her. As Nell steadied herself, Elena turned to her namesake. "I'm you for Halloween!"

"Is that so?" Elena asked with a chuckle. "Well my friends would love to see you be me!"

"Friends?" Elena asked with a gasp.

"That's right, sweetheart," they heard a new voice behind them. Elena looked up and saw Princess Elena's sister and grandparents behind her. Luisa smiled. "It's so nice to see you again." She turned to Patricia. "Now, is there anything I can do to help with the food?"

"If you want to, Lady Luisa, you can follow Florence, Bianca, and Sandra. They were just about to make some witch cookies," Patricia pointed toward the kitchen. "Helen also told me she'd brought her mother's old rosette maker."

"This will be quite a celebration," Princess Elena's grandfather agreed. "A new location to celebrate our old traditions."

"I'll teach you my favorite recipes as well," Luisa was saying as she had Sandra get the ingredients she needed.

"And do you think you could write them down for me?" Sandra asked.

"So you can make them as well?" Luisa asked. "I'd love to!"

"I'll also write down my recipes for witch cookies, and Helen Genevieve's recipe for rosettes," Bianca agreed.

"Your mommy's going to be a little busy so why don't you show me what you have so far," Princess Elena suggested, patting Elena's head.

"I would love to see your costume!" Isabel added with a laugh.

"Girls, I'll be with Mommy," Bobby Lee glanced at his mother and his wife with a smile. "And maybe sneak a few treats while I'm at it."

"Okay, but you're lucky Sandra says she always makes extra treats!" Nell smirked, remembering how Madeline and Sabrina had taken an apple Danish Sandra had made for someone's birthday. She made them apologize, but Sandra had been understanding about why they did it.

Isabel and the two Elenas left to look at the costume while Bianca, Nell, Florence, Luisa, and Sandra went to work on the food.

"So do you mind Elena being you?" Gabby asked, following the group.

"Gabby!" Elena yelled, feeling embarrassed. "Elena right here!"

"Don't be upset, Elena," Princess Elena smiled. "I'm honored that you want to be me for Halloween!"

"Imitation is, after all, the most sincere form of flattery," Florence chuckled.

"Yeah!" Elena smiled, going over to Nell, who brought out a small red dress that looked like Princess Elena's gown.

"We just need to finish your scepter," Nell confessed in embarrassment. "But if you don't want us to use a pretend one than I-"

"No! It's fine!" Isabel interrupted much to Princess Elena's scolding. "Elena will be fine! Your Elena I mean."

"Cost room good?" Elena asked with a quivering lip.

"Your costume is beautiful!" Princess Elena smiled, giving her a hug. "I'm sure we can come up with something you can use for your scepter. All we need is a little imagination."

"Spoken like a true inventor, Elena," Isabel chuckled.

"When in doubt, improvise," Sandra added.

"I couldn't have said it better myself!" Isabel grinned as she started rooting through the box.

"Find something good?" Gabby asked with a giggle.

"Gabby, baby, why don't you help Mommy for awhile?" Nell suggested, taking her in her arms. "Just don't be like Daddy and steal okay?"

"She won't be stealing," Florence suggested, "She can be our official taster."

"That's a good idea," Sandra agreed. "Zoe sometimes acts as my official taster, but she's busy with helping Elena with her costume."

"Okay!" Gabby cheered as she followed Nell, Sandra, and the others to the kitchen.

She gasped, seeing treats everywhere as a witch cookie caught her eye.

"Remember your first time with my witch cookies Helen Genevieve?" Bianca asked with a smile before swatting Bobby Lee's hand away. "No Robert Lee. You're not the taste tester."

"No. What happened?" Nell asked before seeing Bobby Lee near her rosettes. "My husband is acting like my children..."

"My friend Elizabeth and I brought treats to your school bake sale," Bianca remembered. "Robert Lee stole the plate of her rum balls, my chocolate peanut butter cake, and your rosettes, and ate everything all by himself!"

"You're kidding!" Patricia laughed.

"I wish she was," Florence smirked at Bobby Lee. "I was going to punish him for taking those desserts, but he got so sick and had such a bad stomachache that I didn't have the heart to punish him any more than that."

"We were crazy about sugar when we were six!" Nell remembered with a chuckle. "I must've been really little when I had my first witch cookie."

"Witch?" Gabby asked in confusion. "Like Sofia's friends?"

"Not exactly, sweetheart," Bianca smiled. "Witch hats are just cookies shaped like a witch's pointed hat. Your mother would hold the cookies on her head and dance around, pretending to be a witch. Then Madeline Elizabeth and Sabrina Marie caught on to that little game, and they did that as well."

"We make witch hats?" Elena asked.

"We dance around like witches?" Gabby asked.

"That's what Madeline, Sabrina, and I did," Nell grinned. She gathered her girls in a hug, looking at Elena with a slight frown. "I thought you were with the princesses young lady."

"Cookies?" Elena asked with a pout.

"First things first," Sandra smiled, handing Elena a ginger cookie she'd made earlier.

"Thank you!" Elena called as she ran back to her namesake.

"And to make sure Gabby doesn't get jealous," Sandra handed Gabby a second ginger cookie.

"Thank you!" Gabby smiled.

"Alright! Who wants to start baking first?" Nell asked, clapping her hands.

"Baking?" Gabby asked in confusion, not understanding.

"You get to help your mommy make her rosettes," Luisa smiled, messing up her hair.

"And taste everything!" Bobby Lee chuckled before frowning a little. "Just in small bites."

"You have to make sure everything tastes good before we serve it," Sandra added.

"It's like you're reading my mind!" Bobby Lee grinned.

"Great minds do have a habit of thinking alike!" Sandra grinned back as she started getting the ingredients for the witch cookies out.

"Did Sandra steal food like Robert, Queen Patricia?" Florence asked.

"She did sample the occasional treat, but she never went overboard since she can have a sensitive stomach," Patricia remembered, "Sandra likes reading cookbooks and finding recipes to try. She started cooking when she'd been sentenced to the kitchen for a week."

"Was that when I burned my foot that time?" Sandra asked.

"Oh yes," Patricia sighed. "I remember that day so clearly. It was the day after your sentence ended. We told you that you didn't have to work in the kitchen anymore, but you'd fallen in love with cooking and wanted to continue doing it, as well as helping in the kitchen. You were carrying that bowl of soup, but you got dizzy and the bowl slipped off the table and onto your foot. We found you and the chefs in the bathroom and we took you to the nearest hospital so you could be treated properly."

"This was before Ambre came, right?" Sandra asked.

"That's right," Patricia nodded. "We had Ezekiel let you borrow Spike while you rested, and surprisingly, he was very well behaved."

"Spike was a therapy doggie?" Gabby asked.

"Elena uses James' dog Jagger as her therapy dog," Nell explained.

"I suppose he was, in a way," Patricia nodded, "He knew you were hurt, and he wanted to help. But he kept you company most of the time while you read to him."

Gabby smiled at the thought, knowing how Jagger was with Elena back home before she frowned.

If Spike was good then why was Zoe and Sandra's brother so bad?

Bianca noticed Gabby's puzzled look and asked, "Gabby Anna, what's wrong?"

"Why Zoe and Sandra's brother bad?" Gabby asked.

"Well, he attacked James when he sang in a disguise," Bianca replied, "Roland and Miranda told us that he and one of his friends unmasked James as he was singing. As you know, James sang behind a closed door and wanted to try singing in public again. He sang in a disguise, thinking that if he got a positive reaction for his song, he'd unmask himself the next day. Unfortunately, Ezekiel and one of his friends wanted to know who the mystery singer was, so as James took his bow, they unmasked him and as he ran off, they were teasing him."

"That's not nice!" Gabby frowned.

"No it wasn't," Nell agreed, "James almost considered giving up singing altogether, but we were able to convince him that he should share his musical talent with everyone. We'd heard him sing in his room, but he should let others experience his voice. He agreed, and the next night, he gave an incredible performance, and unmasked himself at the end of the song."

"And after that, he promised never to sing behind a closed door again, unless Roland was busy or needed quiet," Bianca finished.

"And we sentenced Ezekiel to work around the castle for the next few months," Robert added. "Spike wasn't involved in what happened, but we still keep an eye on him."

"What if he's mean to Elena?" Gabby asked, getting some ingredients for Nell's rosettes.

"Which one?" Bobby Lee grinned as Robert couldn't help but grin back.

"If he's mean to your sister, Robert said he's going to work in the stables for another month," Nell started.

"If he's mean to my granddaughter, he'll have to answer to me!" Luisa added.

"We'll just watch you cook and try not to disturb you," Robert offered with a smile.

"And maybe take a few extras with us," Francisco added as Bobby Lee smiled at him.

"Mr. Francisco, you're my best adult friend!" Bobby Lee chuckled, earning a playful glare from his wife.

"We have to make sure the treats are satisfactory for your guests, do we not?" Francisco asked, picking up a cookie that had been cooling on the counter.

"Indeed we do!" Bobby Lee grinned, helping himself to another cookie.

"That's enough, you two!" Nell smirked. "Don't make me separate you!"

"Daddy, go in time-out corner!" Gabby pointed at a corner.

"You're not the boss of me!" Bobby Lee smirked, tossing her up and covering her face with kisses.

"Daddy!" Gabby giggled, waving her arms. "Stop it!"

"Robert enough fooling around!" Florence laughed, taking Gabby from his arms. "Let us work."

"And if you make us drop anything, you're in charge of cleaning it up," Sandra added, looking up from where she was mixing some ingredients.

"And if any cookies fall, don't eat them, no matter what the five second rule says," Nell agreed, shooing Bobby Lee and Francisco out.

"That's right, Helen; too many cooks spoil the soup," Florence smiled when they were alone at last.

"We're not making soup, we're making cookies," Gabby looked puzzled.

Grown ups were weird. Even when they explained that it was an expression. To Gabby expressions were the faces of Elena's doll.

She put a hand to her face and sighed. Sometimes being a three year old was a little harder that what was often thought of.

"It's just an expression, sweetheart," Patricia assured her, "It just means that if there are several people working here, the job won't be done well."

"Gabby, just nod and smile, and tell me what you think of this," Sandra suggested, holding a spoonful of something out to her.

Gabby smiled as she tasted it. "Yummy! You're a good cook!"

"Her and Elena always have a thing for anything yummy!" Nell chuckled, patting Gabby's head. "They get it from me."

"Like your eyes Helen Genevieve," Bianca said with a smile. "Oh the rosettes are coming out lovely!"

"Elena okay?" Gabby asked, a little worried for her sister.

They were usually not separated from each other unless Gabby had a therapy session for her bad leg or Elena had a speech class. Still Gabby couldn't help but be worried.

"I'm sure Elena's fine, honey," Florence smiled. "She's just excited about showing Princess Elena her costume."

As Sandra, Bianca, Florence, Luisa, and Patricia were busy in the kitchen, Elena, her namesake, Isabel, Amber, and Miranda were with Zoe in her room looking for something for Elena to use as her scepter.

Elena stared at the scepter that was strapped to the side of her namesake, trying to reach for it.

"Elena, why did we use yours as an example?" Isabel suggested to her sister with a smile.

"So we can find what we need to make it?" Princess Elena guessed with a laugh. "Isa, you're a genius!"

"And I can combine all the pieces into a copy of your scepter that lights up. Crown Princess Elena," Aleena curtsied. "I've got a spell in my book here that will make the completed scepter glow. Of course, it's only a toy, not your real thing..."

"That's fine, Miss Aleena," Miranda assured her. "Let's work with what we have and go from there."

"If there's one thing the Buttercups do well, it's improvise!" Amber smiled.

"Buttercup?" Elena asked in confusion.

"When you're older, you can join," Amber explained with a smile.

"How old?" Elena asked again, looking through the box.

"Around my age," Zoe replied.

"But we'll see if there are any scout troops that are for younger girls," Nell suggested before Elena could get upset about having to wait that long.

"Okay!" Elena smiled, going back to the box.

"When Sandra first joined the Buttercups, she let Zoe come along for Friends Days," Patricia remembered. "Zoe joined the troop on her eighth birthday."

"That's the age I joined. Trying to get Sabrina and Madeline to join," Nell muttered, sighing a little.

"It'll just bring back memories of Mommy," Madeline said, popping up from Nell's side. "Sabrina and me used to wait for you. Miss Bianca told us."

"We can talk about those times at your altar," Florence suggested. "You can tell Elena and Gabby all about your adventures with your troop."

Nell smiled. "That's a good idea, Florence," she turned back to Elena. "I'll tell you some stories about my adventures with the Buttercups, and then when you and Gabby are a little older, we'll see if you still want to join the troop."

"Okay!" Elena cheered. She hugged Nell tight. "Help with box?"

"Where's the please?" Miranda asked with a smile.

"Don't wanna say it right now," Elena explained, staring at the box.

"Then we don't help with the box," Nell smirked.

"Please help with box?" Elena gave her puppy eyes.

"Thank you, Love Bug," Nell smiled.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

When the cookies were in the oven, the next item of business was to start decorating the ballroom for Nell's Day of the Dead celebration. At first, Sandra offered to keep an eye on everything, but Gabby took her hand. "You come too!"

"Well, since you asked so nicely..." Sandra smirked as Gabby dragged her out.

"Yes! You help make ballroom pretty for Mommy!" Gabby insisted.

"Enthusiastic, isn't she?" Sandra smirked.

"You have no idea," Nell smiled.

"What does in flew dee as tic mean?" Elena asked, peeking her head inside the ballroom.

"Enthusiastic sweetheart!" Bianca chuckled, taking her in her arms. "Did you find your scepter?"

"Yeah!" Elena cheered, holding up a small toy scepter that Patricia recognized as one Ezekiel used to play with when he was their age.

"That's a good idea, sweetheart," she smiled. "We'll ask him if you can use it."

"And to do that, we use this," Aleena pulled a small hand-held mirror out of her pocket. She tapped her wand on it and called, "Ezekiel?"

"Yes, Leena?" a voice came from the mirror.

"I created several two-way mirrors for the family. They're each magically tuned to a single person," Aleena explained. She turned back to the mirror. "Is it all right if Elena uses your old toy scepter for her Halloween costume?"

"Well, I don't use it anymore, except to hit Sandra or Zoe when they sing," Ezekiel mused, "I guess it's okay that she can use it, as long as she promises to hit them if they sing."

"Hitting's not nice!" Elena shouted.

"Did you hear that, Ezekiel?" Aleena smirked. "Hitting's not nice!"

"Well, now that you've got your scepter, we just need to make it light up," Nell said when Aleena put the mirror down.

"If my friend Mateo was with us, he could magically have it light up," Princess Elena explained with a smile.

"Tomato?" Gabby asked in confusion.

"No Gabby. Not the vegetable!" Nell laughed before she gasped. "Elena Lydia O'Malley! Put Princess Elena's scepter down!"

"But it pretty!" Elena pouted, trying to hold the larger than her object in her hands. "Glow!"

Fortunately, nothing happened when Elena tried to make it glow. Elena took her scepter back while Aleena cast a spell on the toy scepter.

"Here you go, sweetie, try that," she suggested.

"Before you do, you're going to sit in timeout for touching Princess Elena's scepter," Nell broke in. "It's true that you didn't make it light up, but you were told not to touch it, and you didn't put it down when you should have."

"Okay," Elena sighed, but she smiled as Ambre padded up to her. "Keep me company, kitty?"

"Of course," Ambre purred.

"Don't worry; you'll see Princess Elena after your timeout, and Ambre can stay with you," Nell said as she led Elena and Ambre from the room.

"Why couldn't I touch it?" Elena asked with a frown as Nell knelt down towards her.

"Baby, Princess Elena's scepter, while it may look pretty, is dangerous. You were lucky you weren't hurt," Nell explained, covering Elena in kisses.

"Boo boo hurt?" Elena asked with a smile. "You kiss it better!"

"Of course I would," Nell agreed. "But Sandra was telling me that after she was burned, it took several months for her foot to heal. And you know Gabby's boo-boo from Rex hasn't completely healed yet. Kisses can only do so much, but when you really get hurt, you need to rest and give your body time to heal."

Elena nodded in understanding. She knew that Gabby tended to be tired after her therapy sessions, even if she was getting stronger. When she went to her bed, Elena was always there with her doll, and Kitty, and she made up little stories while Gabby rested. "Okay," she said at last. "I say sorry to Princess Elena."

"Good girl, Elena," Nell smiled. "That's all I ask."

They hugged for a moment before Nell kissed Elena's forehead. Elena knew what that meant.

She wasn't off the hook for disrespecting her idol's scepter.

Whenever she and Nell had their talks, Elena knew that her mother tried to do them in a way she could understand.

"You just make yourself comfortable for the next few minutes, Elena," Nell said as she left the room. "I'll be right outside the door." She knew that Elena sometimes ran off while she was in timeout, and it only made it longer since she had to start over. But hopefully, since Ambre was with her, she'd stay put.

"Okay, while we're waiting for your timeout to end, how about you tell me another story?" Ambre suggested.

Elena smiled a little. "Okay!"

She cuddled up against Ambre before finding herself frowning. Elena knew that Nell meant well but just didn't understand.

Her autism made Elena do things that she sometimes never wanted to do but her mind wasn't like Gabby's. Gabby was better than her with most things and never forgot their routine.

"You know I have a kitty named Snow White, right?" Elena asked.

"You mentioned her," Ambre nodded. "What's she like?"

"She's nice," Elena smiled. "I hold her and she purrs when I'm sad when mean boy Jack teases me."

"Yes, we kitties know how to make people feel better," Ambre purred.

"You come visit her?" Elena asked.

"I wish I could, but I don't like flying," Ambre said as he rubbed against her. "When I was a kitten, Sandra took me for a ride in the family's flying coach once, and it was awful! I was in a cat carrier so I'd be safe, but I really didn't like being up so high. After we got home, she promised not to do that anymore, unless she really had to. She told me she'd only take me to the vet and back to the castle."

"Poor kitty," Elena murmured as she stroked him.

"It's okay," Ambre assured her, "I've got all kinds of toys to keep me company when the family's gone."

"And doggie?" Elena asked.

"He chased me when I first came here," Ambre explained. "We avoid each other, but we do work together when we have to."

"Gabby tried that to with me sometimes," Elena muttered with a frown. "Daddy says that what I do makes her cheeks turn pink!"

"You mean embarrass?" Ambre purred, rubbing against her.

"Yes. Mommy says that my brain doesn't work too good but when I was a baby it worked fine," Elena frowned again, feeling tears in her eyes.

"It's okay, Elena," Ambre purred, nuzzling her. "I've heard everyone say that you should take your time and it's not a race with anyone."

"Ambre's right, Elena," Nell said as she came in. "You take your time and do what works for you. And surprise! Time out's over!"

"Already?" Elena looked surprised.

"Time flies when you're talking to Ambre," Nell smiled. "Now, all you need to do is apologize to Princess Elena, and everything will be all right again."

"Okay," Elena agreed, and they went back to the ballroom.

She immediately hid behind Nell upon seeing her idol.

"What's this? Hide and seek?" Isabel asked with a smile.

"No," Elena answered, gripping onto Nell's skirt. "Your sister mad at me?"

"Mad at you?" Gabby asked, gently pulling her sister from her hiding place.

"Why would I be mad at you?" Princess Elena smiled. "I know you were just curious about my scepter and probably wanted to compare mine with yours."

"I'm sorry, Elena," Elena apologized. "I was a bad girl for playing with your scepter."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, sweetheart," Princess Elena smiled. "I understand you just wanted to see how the scepter worked."

"And while you were in your timeout, I worked a little magic on this one," Aleena said as she came up to her and gave her the toy scepter. "Try it out now."

"Okay..." Elena agreed. She held the toy up. "Glow!" She smiled when the top glowed, just like Princess Elena's scepter did. "Mommy! Look!"

"I see, sweetheart," Nell smiled.

"Yes, now aim the scepter at the ground and say 'point,'" Aleena instructed.

"Okay," Elena smiled. "Point!"

A small beam of light came out of the scepter, and a dot appeared on the ground. Ambre stopped in his tracks and dropped into a crouch. He watched the dot for a few moments before pouncing.

"And just like that, instant cat toy!" Aleena grinned. "I'll copy this scepter and put the spell on the copy so you can take it home."

"Snow White and her kitty friends will love that!" Nell grinned as Elena clapped her hands and jumped up and down.

With the pedant around her neck, she could finally tell Snow White all the things she wanted to say since getting her.

Elena knew that being a kitty mommy wasn't easy to do and sleeping with Snow White sometimes made her crave for her bed because of the stable floor being so cold.

But she knew that Snow White couldn't come in the castle due to Roland's allergies, and Nell had told her to be considerate of his feelings. This was still a good compromise, Snow White could live in the stable, Elena could visit her whenever she wanted, and Roland's allergies wouldn't be triggered.

She looked up from Princess Elena's hug and looked around the ballroom. She saw that Sandra was holding a book open and showing some of the castle servants where things were supposed to go. She'd glance over at Bianca, who would nod as if telling her she was right.

"Not bad for helping with my first Day of the Dead celebration, right?" she asked as Nell went to work setting up Edward and Lydia's altar.

Elena and Gabby stared at the pictures Nell had started to place.

Their mommy was little once? And who was the lady and man?

"I see you notice the pictures of your grandparents," Nell smiled. "Their names are Edward and Lydia O'Malley."

"Where are they?" Gabby asked.

"They died a long time ago. Madeline and Sabrina were only three," Nell explained.

She looked up when Sandra came up with a few pictures. "Is it okay if I put some pictures here too?"

Nell smiled. "Of course. Everyone's welcome to share memories of loved ones."

Roland smiled next to her as he took a picture out. "Well, since you mentioned wanting to do this back at our castle, I did find a picture I want to share."

"Your first wife!" Bobby Lee gasped before lowering his head. "Your majesty, to be honest with you I always wondered what she would've thought of us. What she would've done when Helen first came home."

"I agree," Nell muttered, putting her hands close to her chest. "Mama, Papa, It's been so long since I've seen your smiling faces but I have someone in my life I would've wanted you to hold and play with."

"My first wife would have loved the two of you," Roland smiled as Sandra set her pictures out.

"Who that, Sandra?" Gabby asked.

"My grandma and grandpa," Sandra explained, taking out another picture. "They took care of Zeke and me when Zoe was born."

"And one of my best friends," Robert added, putting another picture out. "Duke William. He and I did everything together when we were younger."

"Mother, it's your turn," Bobby Lee muttered, seeing Florence hugging his father's picture.

"I've never done this before," Florence confessed, keeping the picture to herself.

"I hate to ask Florence but what happened to your husband?" Princess Elena asked, getting a gentle nod from her grandparents.

"Richard died when Robert was four," Florence started. "He'd been ill for a long time. I tried everything to help him. After his death, I was so afraid of the idea of raising a child on my own. Fortunately, I knew Lydia and Bianca could help me with Robert while I looked for work to support us."

"And you were always there for us," Bianca agreed. "It was so nice having you two around."

"What about you, Bianca? Do you have any pictures for the altar?" Nell asked.

Elena and Gabby looked at each other in confusion, not understanding what each picture in front of them meant.

"Miss Bianca, you have picture?" Elena asked after a moment.

"For Mommy's altar?" Gabby added, trying to grab Lydia's picture.

"Put it down, sweetheart," Bianca murmured. "I've got a picture of my husband right here. He would have loved you girls."

"That's right," Nell smiled. "He always hosted holiday parties at your house when I was a kid, and he gave candy to everyone, no matter how old they were!"

"And you have a picture of your dog Rose," Sandra observed.

Bianca smiled. "Oh yes. I loved that little dog. I hope you don't mind, Helen Genevieve, that I include her in here."

"Of course not. Rose deserves to have her picture up here too," Nell smiled.

"No! No doggie!" Gabby wailed, running out of the room.

"Gabby wait!" Elena yelled, running after her sister. "Rose isn't with Miss Bianca no more!"

Gabby paused. "You sure?"

"I'm sure," Elena smiled as she started to sing, "You and me together will be. Forever you'll see."

"We two can be good company. You and me. Just wait and see," Gabby sang back as they went back to the ballroom.

"That's Elena's calming song that Gabby made up," Nell explained as the girls returned and everyone heard the singing.

"It seems to work on both of them," Patricia smiled as Sandra gave the girls each a cookie she'd made.

"Thank you," Gabby muttered softly before looking at Rose. "Sorry doggie. I just don't like doggies that much."

"I'm sure she'd understand," Bianca assured her with a smile. "In fact when your mommy was a year older than you, we had gone to the park for a picnic for awhile. Your mommy wanted to feed some geese and she was having fun."

"Until geese be bad?" Elena asked, shoving her cookie in her mouth.

"Oh yes," Bianca sighed. "She'd wanted to pet one, but it honked at her. She was scared of the sudden noise, so she backed away from it, but she tripped over another one that had come up behind her. That one pecked her. Edward, her father, ran up to her, and he was yelling at the geese to go away. By this time, Helen Genevieve was crying so hard and she was so frightened that she couldn't figure out what was happening."

"Poor Mommy," Elena said as she and Gabby hugged Nell.

"I heard that story," Bobby Lee added. "I also heard Edward got revenge on the goose that pecked Helen, and the goose was the guest of honor at their dinner table a few days later!"

Even Nell had to laugh at that story. She'd been terrified of what happened that day, but she was thankful that her father had taken revenge against her attacker, just like Bobby Lee had taken revenge against Jimmy and his family for kidnapping her and her sisters.

The scar from her feathered attacker was still on the cheek he had pecked to this day. Like Gabby's bite from Rex, it still took time to heal.

"You don't have to hide it," Sofia assured her, seeing a strand of hair near the scar.

"I've just been embarrassed about it," Nell said, remembering her childhood years.

"You shouldn't be," Bobby Lee assured her, "You should think of your scar as a badge of honor. You overcame so much and you had people who were there for you. Edward was there for you when you were attacked by geese. Madeline and Sabrina were there for you when you were Jimmy's prisoners, just like you were there for them. I was there for you when I helped save you."

"And we're here for you now, Helen," Roland smiled.

"And I'm grateful for all of you being there for me," Nell smiled back.

She pulled the stand of hair back, giving Bobby Lee a kiss on the lips before pulling away.

Just like when they had taken their first kiss four years before, the young adults found themselves blushing as Elena and Gabby giggled.

"What your grandparents like, Sandra?" Gabby asked.

Sandra paused. "I don't really remember a whole lot," she admitted. "I know that Grandpa taught a woodworking class at Royal Prep for a few years, and Mom said Grandma worked as a teacher in the children's wing, just like she does now."

"You were only five years old when Mother died, and Father passed away last year," Patricia agreed.

"And I still have some of the carvings I made in Sir Franklin's class," Roland added. "He certainly was talented when it came to woodworking. During the summer months, he said he had a shop in the village where he sold wood carvings."

"That's right," Miranda smiled. "I actually bought a few of his pieces when Sofia and I lived in the village, and I made sure to bring them with us when we came to the castle. I didn't know his name at the time, but he did exceptional work."

"Nell! Why would you do such a thing?!" Madeline asked with tears in her eyes.

"Do what?" Elena asked in confusion. "Altar bad?"

"What's wrong with it?" Nell asked. "Just because there are a few extra pictures on the altar doesn't mean that Mama and Papa aren't being honored."

"That's right; this is a community altar," Bobby Lee agreed. "Everyone's welcome to put a picture on it."

"You promised me that it would just be Mommy and Daddy's altar!" Madeline yelled with tears streaming down her cheeks. "You lied!"

"No Mommy didn't," Elena mumbled, crossing her arms.

"Yes she did!" Madeline hissed, taking the toy scepter out of Elena's hands and stomping on it until it snapped in half.

The crack seemed to echo around the room, which had gone deathly silent as everyone stared in shock at what had just happened. Elena stared at the pieces of the scepter in her hands.

"You want to get out of here, Sandra?" James asked as he saw Elena's face turning red.

"I know how you are about loud noises, and we're about to hear a really loud noise!" Sofia agreed, starting to lead her and James out.

"I'm coming too!" Zoe spoke up as she followed them.

"Madeline. Elizabeth. Oh. Malley. Outside. NOW!" Nell scolded, walking right up to Madeline.

Sabrina looked especially worried now. Nell's 'one-word-at-a-time' voice was rarely used, but when it was used, there was usually trouble. She quickly hid behind Bianca and Florence, who were doing their best to calm the sobbing little girl between them.

"Can you at least try to hold it in until they're out of earshot?" Bobby Lee asked.

Nell smirked for a second, but then her angry look returned. "No promises," she replied.

"Helen, if I may try something?" Aleena asked. She took the pieces of the broken scepter in one hand, and aimed her wand at them. "Reparo!" She smiled as the scepter came together. "There you are, sweetheart, good as new."

"Well done, Miss Aleena," Cedric smiled.

"Well, that takes care of that. Elena! Kitty!" Amber called, motioning toward Ambre, who was starting to nuzzle Elena as she continued crying.

"I no want kitty! I want Auntie Madeline gone!" Elena sobbed, running into Princess Elena and burying her head in her dress.

Princess Elena wasn't used to little, little kids back in Avalor but she took Elena in her arms and started humming My Time to the little girl which according to Nell, was one of her favorite songs that wasn't kitty themed.

"Well! I can tell when I'm not wanted," Ambre joked as Amber started petting him.

"Elena not mad at you, Ambre," Gabby assured him as she stroked him. "She mad at Auntie Madeline. Give her time and she pet you again."

Meanwhile, Nell had marched Madeline outside. "This was our altar! Nobody else's!" Madeline shouted.

"Madeline, Roland had heard me talking about doing an altar for Day of the Dead, and he asked me if others could be included in the celebration," Nell started. "Of course I said yes, and what Bobby Lee said was right; we agreed on a community altar so everyone could include pictures of their family members. Florence and Bianca thought it was a wonderful idea to share our traditions with other kingdoms. I thought they might also do something like this here in Orillia. Apparently, they don't celebrate Dia de los Muertos, but that doesn't mean they can't participate in the festivities and share their own memories along with us."

"They could make their own altar," Madeline pouted.

"Maybe, but they didn't know we were going to do this," Nell admitted. "You knew we were going to be gone from the altar we made in Enchancia, and Sandra offered to let me make a new altar here."

"Well I don't care! You expect me to be happy about this?!" Madeline asked, nearly ready to kick her sister. "I just wanted Mommy and Daddy there! It's like you don't care! You have all your memories with them! You and Miss Bianca get to talk and laugh about them! Me and Sabrina don't even remember them!" Tears filled Madeline's eyes as she shoved Nell to the ground. "I wish you could've died after Wassailia six years ago instead of them!"

Nell gathered herself up before staring at her sister in shock, never expecting in her nearly nine years of sisterhood to get that.

"Madeline. Just for that, you'll be in your room during the celebration," she started. "You can forget about trick-or-treating for Halloween. And, you're grounded for the rest of our time here, and for two weeks when we get back to Enchancia."

"I don't care!" Madeline shouted. "I'll make my own altar for Mommy and Daddy and you can't put any other pictures on it! Miss Bianca gave me pictures of Mommy and Daddy so I have some! And don't hold your breath waiting for me to apologize to Elena and everyone!"

The last thing Nell heard from her sister was a slam of her bedroom door as the mother of two tried to collect herself.

She thought Elena having a meltdown was bad but a emotional Madeline was even worse.

The thought of Madeline wishing that she had died instead of their parents ached at Nell's heart as Bianca found her in tears.

"Helen Genevieve? We heard everything between you and Madeline Elizabeth. And while I agree with her punishment, is there anything I can do for you?" Bianca asked.

"Bring Mama and Papa back to life?" Nell sniffled, looking up at her with a watery smile.

"I think you'll have to talk to Cedric and Miss Aleena about that, but I think they'd say no, since no spell can raise the dead," Bianca chuckled as she drew her into a hug. "Sweetheart, none of us wanted Edward or Lydia to die. We tried to tell the three of you stories so you could keep their memories alive."

"And I did try to tell the stories to Madeline and Sabrina when we were Jimmy's prisoners, when we escaped, and when Roland and Miranda brought us to the castle," Nell agreed.

"Madeline just doesn't understand," Sabrina grumbled, gathering Nell in a hug. "We wouldn't know what to do without you. And Mommy and Daddy would've been sad if you got sick instead of them."

Nell smiled a little. Madeline and Sabrina were twins, but Sabrina was obviously the more mature of the two, and not because she was older than Madeline. She always tried to be the voice of reason when Madeline got upset or wanted to do something wrong. And even though Sabrina did eat part of the apple Danish Madeline stole (even if Madeline did share it with her), she always tried to do the right thing.

"I can always count on you to cheer me up, Sabrina," Nell said as she gave her a hug.

"It's what sisters do!" Isabel chuckled with a smile.

"Gabby! I know you're a fishy but why don't you something else?" Elena asked with a smile, pointing to Isabel.

"Okay...I be bumblebee instead!" Gabby smiled, recalling one of the images in Cedric's Morph-o-Mirrors. At the same time, she looked at Zoe, who looked worried about the idea. "That okay with you, Zoe?"

"That's okay," Zoe agreed. "I don't like bees, but I saw you as a bee in the mirror and you looked really cute!"

"Okay!" Gabby smiled, but then she asked, "Why you not like bees?"

"Sandra got hurt by a bee," Zoe shuddered.

"Oh yes," Patricia agreed. "This was when they were younger. Zoe and Sandra were playing with me and their father. I forget what Ezekiel was doing, but a bee came up to the girls. Zoe was frightened when it came so close to her. Sandra tried to swat it away, but it stung her."

"Is she allergic to bee stings?" Bianca asked.

"No, thank goodness, but whenever she gets bitten by other insects, like mosquitos, she swells up," Patricia sighed. "Zoe was so frightened about what happened that she's feared bees ever since."

"Well! We have a princess and a bee!" Nell chuckled, gathering her girls in her arms.

"What about Madeline's costume?" Amber asked, remembering Madeline's words towards Nell. "What are you going to do with it now that she's grounded?"

"Well, I don't think we learned what Zoe's costume is," Nell mused.

"I hadn't decided on one," Zoe admitted. "But I kind of liked those outfits the dancing girls wore in that book you looked at earlier."

"That's right!" Amber smiled. "I found an outfit like that, and Madeline said there was a second one. But now that she's not going to participate, how would you like to be a French dancer with me, Zoe?"

"Okay!" Zoe smiled.

"And like I did for your other costume, I can adjust it to fit you," Aleena offered.

"Just wish Madeline didn't misbehave," Nell grumbled with crossed arms.

"Helen, you're not perfect with raising her. She should've known better than to act out," Bobby Lee assured her with a kiss on the cheek.

"She's had this little attitude problem ever since we were rescued," Nell sighed. "At first I thought it was because she was jealous of Elena and Gabby, but now I'm not so sure. She also says she's jealous of me because I have all these memories of Mama and Papa and she and Sabrina don't."

Sabrina groaned, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter if we don't remember. It matters that we're together."

"Where did you learn such wisdom?" Bianca asked with a chuckle.

"Books!" Nell and Bobby Lee laughed, gathering Sabrina in a hug.

"Sabrina Marie was born, were her first words, by any chance, 'Can I read that when you're done?'" Bianca chuckled.

"You're thinking of James, Bianca! Sabrina's been reading since she was three!" Nell laughed.

"Right! My mistake," Bianca said, kissing Sabrina on the cheek.

"Nell taught me!" Sabrina beamed, turning to Elena. "Like James teaches Elena!"

"Really? Where are my letters from you little one?" Princess Elena joked, taking Elena in her arms.

"They're safe at home," Nell explained. "Every time Elena gets a letter from you, we have her put it in a special folder Bianca found for her. She did the same thing for Madeline and Sabrina so they could look at special papers whenever they want."

James bit his lip at the memory. He had accidentally thrown out an old birthday card of Madeline's, but only because he didn't know what it was, and it was old and ratty. He and Amber managed to recreate it, and the new card was still in Madeline's special folder.

Roland saw his guilty look and pulled him into a hug. "Don't think about it anymore, James. Cedric put all kinds of protective spells on it, so it's safe forever. And you did apologize to Madeline when it happened."

"I know, but Nell said she'd had that card forever," James sighed. "I know I'd feel that way if someone threw something I cared about away."

"Well, you weren't so easy to get along with when we sent Rex away," Roland said as he mussed his hair, "But after you started working with the royal dog trainers and got Jagger, you improved quite a bit."

"Talk of kitties!" Elena demanded as Princess Elena giggled.

"You don't want any of us sad don't you?" Francisco asked with a laugh.

"Kitties!" Elena repeated.

"I'm here!" Ambre purred, rubbing against her. "Let's talk about me!"

"Well, aren't you a handsome little kitty?" Luisa smiled.

"You feel better, Elena?" Ambre asked.

"Kitties do know how to make Elena happy," Nell smiled.

"She would love the jaquins!" Princess Elena laughed, taking Isabel by the hand. "Come on Isa, lets do some taste testing."

"Jack wins?" Elena asked with a grin.

"Cookies done?" Gabby asked with a giggle.

"Let's see, Gabby," Sandra said as she, Nell, Florence, Luisa, and Bianca went to the kitchen.

As soon as they arrived, they knew that everything was ready. The kitchen was busy with movement, the smells of different cookies were in the air, and the next thing to make were the recipes that Luisa had brought with her.

A while later, the rest of the food for the celebration was ready. "Well, everyone? Shall we bring everything out?" Nell asked.

"Okay," Sandra paused.

"Is something wrong, Sandra?" Nell asked.

"I know Madeline's not going to be joining us for your celebration, but can we still bring her a plate of something?" Sandra asked.

"That's a wonderful idea," Nell smiled as she made a plate up and went to Madeline's room.

"Come in," Madeline muttered, hearing Nell's knock. She smiled as she sniffed the air. "Mommy's witch cookies!"

"Don't forget my rosettes!" Nell laughed, putting the plate down.

"Thank you, Nell, but I thought I couldn't come to the celebration," Madeline said as she took it on her lap.

"You're right about that, but you can thank Sandra for asking me if we could bring you some food," Nell agreed. She saw something out of the corner of her eye and walked over to a makeshift altar Madeline had made. "Madeline, that's really good! You've always been the artist of the family."

Madeline smiled. Thanks to Cedric's magic, she had pictures of Edward and Lydia, and she had put them on her altar. She didn't have candles, but to her, that was all right; she'd always been nervous around fire.

" I just wish they were here. Daddy never got to give you away, Mommy never got to play with Elena and Gabby," Madeline sighed, putting the plate down. "That's what I wanted."

"For how long?" Nell asked, sitting beside her.

"Since you said that you were with Elena and Gabby when they were in your tummy," Madeline muttered, turning away. "It's embarrassing isn't it?"

"No, it's not embarrassing at all," Nell murmured, pulling her into a hug. "Sometimes I do wish that Papa had given me away when Bobby Lee and I got married. Mama always loved babies, and she loved to play with them, especially you and Sabrina. She would have loved playing with Elena and Gabby."

"I didn't know that!" Madeline gasped with a shocked look.

"There's a lot that you don't know!" Nell chuckled with a smile.

"Would they had still loved you after you know what Jimmy did?" Madeline asked with a tear down her cheek. "Some people just have to be so mean!"

"Of course they would have still loved me," Nell murmured. "They'd know that what happened wasn't my fault, and that Jimmy was the one responsible for what he did to me. They'd stand by me and support me any way they could."

"What about Bobby Lee and how he fought Jimmy when we were rescued?" Madeline asked.

"They would have understood that Bobby Lee did what he had to do when he was fighting like that," Nell assured her. "But if Papa was there, he would have killed Jimmy, Beth, and Robby all by himself as soon as you, Sabrina, and I were safe."

Madeline smiled a little. "Daddy would do anything to protect us, wouldn't he?"

"You bet he would," Nell smiled as she hugged her.

"Nell, I'm sorry," Madeline muttered softly after a moment.

"For what?" Nell asked with a gentle smile.

"Everything I did today," Madeline started. "I didn't mean to break Elena's scepter, and I didn't mean to say all those things about wishing that you'd died. I'm sorry I was selfish about the altar."

"Well, it's true that you don't remember all that much about Mama and Papa, but I did try to tell you all kinds of stories about them," Nell admitted.

"I guess I got Daddy's temper!" Madeline realized with a giggle. "And you got his snoring!"

"Hey!" Nell groaned with a hurt look.

"Now you know why I keep my door closed at night, so I'm not scared by the horrible snarling monster in the castle!" Madeline continued.

"You are so asking for it!" Nell glared at her.

"Does it hurt when you're snoring like that? And didn't I hear Bobby Lee say once that it was like he was sleeping next to either a broken lawn mower or a rusty chainsaw when you woke him up twice?" Madeline continued, dancing just out of reach.

"Oh he's so going to get it from me!" Nell growled, putting her hands between Madeline's sides. "But not before the monster gets her little sister!"

"No! Nell no! Stop!" Madeline screamed in laughter. "I'm just repeating what I heard James say about it!"

"Oh really?" Nell smirked. "Don't worry, Madeline; I'll make sure James pays for what he said too! And Bobby Lee!"

"Helen? Madeline?" they heard a voice at the door.

"Speak of the devil," Nell smirked when she saw Bobby Lee.

"I just came to tell you that we're just about ready to start the celebration," Bobby Lee said as Madeline twisted away from Nell. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, but you will have plenty to answer to tonight!" Nell frowned, but it was quickly replaced by a smile. "Let's go. We'll continue our little discussion later, Madeline!"

Madeline nodded softly, kicking her legs as Nell left the room.

"I was so close to pulling out my sword when I heard Madeline screaming," Bobby Lee glared at his wife with a smile.

"You didn't miss much; just a monster attack," Nell smiled.

"Is Madeline all right?" Bobby Lee asked.

"She'll be fine," Nell nodded, "But tonight, I don't think you or James will!"

"Should I warn him about something?" Bobby Lee asked.

"No, I'll take care of him," Nell assured him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Nell and Bobby Lee came back to the ballroom, where Elena and her family were helping set up some last-minute details for the Dia de los Muertos celebration. They had agreed that everyone in the castle had done a good job, but they wanted to add a few more things, like their own pictures to the community altar.

"Is everything all right, Nell?" Sofia asked.

"Yes, Sofia, everything's fine," Nell smiled, thinking of how she was going to get James back for what he had apparently taught Madeline.

"And when we go trick-or-treating tomorrow, is it okay if we get some treats for Madeline?" Zoe asked.

"Of course," Nell smiled.

"Okay! Because there's this one house you guys are going to love," Sandra grinned.

"What kind of candy do they give?" Sabrina asked.

"They don't give candy," Sandra replied, "They give cans of pop!"

"Make sure you get some for me and Helen at that house!" Bobby Lee grinned.

"We'll be taking Elena and Gabby with us, so you can get your own pop," Nell smirked.

"True. At least it'll be better than their first Halloween," Bobby Lee smirked as Nell glared at him.

"They were teething that day and there was no way I was giving them choking hazards!" Nell reminded him with a sigh.

"But how did it go?" Princess Elena wondered as Elena hugged her legs.

"Very well," Nell smiled as she picked Elena up and hugged her. "Everyone thought they were so adorable, and they got extra candy wherever we went."

"That's the point of Halloween, isn't it?" James asked. "Getting lots of people to give you lots of candy, and then trying to eat it all in one night!"

"Very true!" Bobby Lee chuckled, mussing his hair.

"Daddy and Mommy eat candy?" Gabby asked with a smile.

"You bet!" Bobby Lee chuckled with a smirk.

"And add a few extra pounds to your uniform?" Nell joked as Florence chuckled softly.

At least I have a soft landing when I fall," Bobby Lee smirked. "And I can work the candy off when I do this!" He snatched Elena up and tossed her in the air, then did the same with Gabby as Nell caught Elena.

"Baby weight training! Why didn't I think of that?" Nell grinned as Elena and Gabby shrieked for more.

"You worked your baby weight off right away, since you carried Elena and Gabby around all the time!" Florence smiled.

"And took walks while they were in their double stroller," Bianca recalled with a smile.

"Now that was a monster!" Nell smirked as Elena shrieked in her arms.

"But monsters come out at night-night time, don't they?" Gabby asked.

"That's what I always heard," Bobby Lee smirked.

"I think everyone always knows when a monster comes out!" James agreed.

As she watched Bobby Lee mussing James' hair, Nell didn't say anything, since she was planning her revenge. She'd get James as he was changing into his costume, but after the celebration was when Bobby Lee would pay for what he was teaching the girls.

"We'll help," Florence smirked with a smile.

"I never thought you would have it in you," Nell admitted, a bit surprised.

"We've heard their charming comments as well," Bianca assured her. "You know Edward was the same way, so Lydia insisted on sleeping in the sitting room, just so she could have peace and quiet."

"We'd better do something before Robert starts doing that too," Florence agreed. Seeing Nell's hurt look, she smiled. "I'm just kidding, Helen! But we really should teach them a lesson."

"We help?" Gabby asked, hearing the conversation.

"Please Grand Mommy?" Elena asked with a giggle.

"Of course," Florence smiled, "But don't tell them what we're doing. It's a surprise."

"Okay," Gabby agreed.

"Okay," Elena echoed.

"And I'll be with you, just to make sure you don't accidentally say something you shouldn't," Nell added. "But remember, girls, Mommy's not a monster."

"We love Mommy!" Elena smiled.

"Love you, Mommy!" Gabby agreed.

"And I love you both," Nell smiled, covering Elena and Gabby in kisses.

"Cost room?" Elena asked with a smile. "Cost room now?"

"No no sweetheart. That's not until tomorrow," Florence said with a smile.

"Why?" Elena wondered with a frown.

"This is a separate holiday before Halloween," Nell explained.

"And you don't want your pretty costumes to get all dirty before you let other people see them, do you?" Bianca asked.

"No!" Gabby gasped.

"Cost rooms be pretty for tomorrow!" Elena agreed.

"That's right, girls," Florence smiled.

Suddenly, Elena had a thought. "Kitty cost room!"

"You mean, what's Ambre's costume going to be?" Sandra asked. "He's going to be my Bluecape Animal Guide. I just need to paint his picture on my arm."

"I can help with that," Amber offered.

"And me too?" Sabrina asked. "Is it okay if I'm a Bluecape with you, Sandra?"

"Of course it is," Sandra smiled. "Who's your Animal Guide, Sabrina?"

"A kitty?" Elena hoped with a smile.

"Oh why do you like kitties so?" Sabrina jokingly groaned with a laugh.

"They're no doggie!" Gabby giggled with a clap of her hands.

"Actually, my Animal Guide is a squirrel," Sabrina smiled. "There's this little squirrel I've often seen with Sofia, and he's so cute! Sofia invited me to play with her and her animal friends once, and she introduced me to him."

"That's right," Sofia nodded, "Whatnaught really liked playing with you."

"He even let me feed him once," Sabrina continued. "He came right up to me when you were with me and handed me an acorn. I gave it back to him, and he ate it right up."

"Whatnaught would be honored that he's your Animal Guide," Sofia smiled.

"Well, the only costume we don't know is yours, Sof," James spoke up. "What do you have in mind?"

"Clover?" Elena guessed with a smile.

"Cuddle bunny?" Gabby echoed, forgetting that Clover had a name.

"She does hang out with him a lot," Amber muttered with a smile.

"Actually, I thought of a different costume," Sofia smiled. "Amber, do you remember that butterfly costume you had Mister Cedric make you?"

"You didn't ask him for crystals like I did, did you?" Amber gasped.

Sofia smiled, remembering the crystals that actually turned Amber into a butterfly. "No, Amber, I made my own butterfly costume by hand. And about the crystals, I have to say, you've come a long way since that time."

"She certainly has," Bianca smiled. "She helps me and Florence when we're doing little sewing projects, and we give her the occasional sewing lesson."

"And bandaged her when she came across the occasional prick from the sewing needle. Elena's costume cost her around twenty pricks," Florence recalled with a smile.

Elena frowned at the thought of Amber getting boo boos while making her costume as she ran towards Amber and hugged her.

"You make pretty cost room, Amber," Elena smiled. "Don't feel bad about boo boos!"

"Thank you, Elena," Amber smiled as she hugged her back. "I tried not to bleed too much on your costume! But the dress is red, so the blood can't be seen anyway!"

"You never bled on the costume," Florence smiled. "You did a wonderful job on it."

"Bad Daddy!" Gabby scolded before Elena could say another word.

"What? It's just a little bit of food!" Bobby Lee whined, holding up one of the foods in his hands.

"My rosettes?! Robert out of all the things to do!" Nell laughed, seeing his pouting look.

"Mr. Francisco and I couldn't wait any longer," Bobby Lee grinned, turning to his partner in crime. "I'm sorry Penguin!"

"Now, Mommy?" Elena whispered.

"No, sweetheart; but we'll get him for this too later tonight," Nell whispered back.

"What are you two whispering about?" Patricia asked.

"Oh, nothing," Nell smiled.

She shook her head at the two adults trying not to look guilty for stuffing their faces with food.

Princess Elena joined her with a smile, holding up her hair with gentle hands.

"When was the last time you put your hair up?" Princess Elena asked, gently smoothing out fly aways.

"Oh when the girls were babies," Nell sighed with a soft smile. "It was a lot brighter back than too. But with anger? Whenever someone messes with my babies."

"That's right," Sabrina looked up. "You said you did that when that man trapped us in the crystals and he tried to take Elena and Gabby...speaking of that man, what happened to him, and how's your wrist?"

"Well, Sabrina, I asked Cedric and Aleena about that," Nell replied. "They told me that Greylock was sent back to his own country where he's been in prison. All his magic things were taken away so he can't escape again. Aleena also gave me a potion for my wrist. I've been taking it easy, but she said this would make the healing process go faster so I'd be ready for tonight."

Robert smiled. "Yes, Aleena loves working with remedies and healing potions. When she was in school, she wanted to be a Healer. Her parents were the royal sorcerers then, and taught her everything she knows, along with what she learned in sorcery school. However, when her mother died, she offered to stay here as an apprentice royal sorcerer. She still studied, and got her Healer's certificate. She works part time at the village hospital."

"Good for her!" Luisa smiled from where she was swatting Francisco's hand away from another plate.

"Husbands," Nell muttered with a smile, watching Elena play with her idol's hair.

"My ponytail is a toy now?" Princess Elena joked with a smile.

"Elena, don't play with her hair," Florence said gently, "I know you sampled some of the cookies, and you don't want to get crumbs in Princess Elena's hair, do you?"

Elena gasped. "No!" she cried out. "Am I bad girl?"

"No, sweetheart, you can play with my hair all you want," Princess Elena assured her. "We know the crumbs will come right out."

"Trust me. They will," Isabel assured a worried Elena with a hug. "Though it's good thing we left Estéban behind-"

"Isa!" Princess Elena interrupted with a laugh. "We didn't! He offered to stay behind!"

"Someone has to keep an eye on things while we're gone!" Isabel joked. "Though we both know he, Armando, Gabe, and Mateo will probably have a party!"

"Oh, Isa," Princess Elena chuckled.

"Do you want to come trick-or-treating with us, Isabel?" Zoe asked.

"Can I?" Isabel asked.

"Sure! Like my mom says, the more the merrier," Sofia smiled. "All you need to do is find a costume."

"Okay!" Isabel smiled, and went with Sofia and Zoe to find a costume.

"It's nice that you let her come along," Nell said, smiling at the princess.

"Isa? She's still a kid so I want her to have the best years of her life!" Princess Elena chuckled with a smile. "Besides it'll be a new experience for her."

"I like x peer e inch!" Gabby giggled, clapping her hands.

"Experience sweetheart," Princess Elena said, feeling a tug on her dress before looking down at her namesake's face. "Yes? Is something wrong Elena? You're not smiling and your legs look like they're shaking."

"Potty?" Elena whimpered.

"I'll help you, sweetheart," Patricia took her hand. "The potty's this way."

"I'll come too," Nell offered.

"You can't work under pressure," Bobby Lee smiled as they went off to find the bathroom.

"So Gabby do you like Elena as your sister?" Princess Elena wondered as Gabby watched her family and Patricia leave.

"I guess but she does things that make me turn pink," Gabby admitted with a frown.

"What does she do?" Princess Elena wondered, sitting Gabby next to her grandparents altar.

"Sometimes she can't do things I can," Gabby admitted. "She slower than me, but Mommy and Daddy say that's okay. She used to kiss me when we were babies, but she don't do that no more."

"That's all right," Princess Elena assured her. "Everyone develops skills at their own pace. When Isa and I were younger, I wanted to play with her, but she didn't know how to play the games I knew. I tried to teach her the games, but it was like she didn't understand what I was saying. But after a while, she learned what I was trying to teach her, and picked up the games right away."

"You do it one day at a time?" Gabby asked.

"That's right, Gabby," Princess Elena smiled as Sofia, Zoe, and Isabel came back so Isabel could show everyone her costume.

"What you find?" Gabby asked with a smile.

"Oh Isabel! It's lovely!" Luisa gushed with a smile as Isabel twirled.

"That's my fairy princess costume," Sandra said as she recognized the turquoise leotard, tutu, wings, wand and tiara. "I almost forgot about that one. I remember wearing that one-"

"Every day up until last year," Robert jokingly cut in.

"When I was about Zoe's age," Sandra corrected, "And Dad, I was that female Zorro last year, remember?"

"Miss Aleena put the growth spell on it for Isabel," Sofia agreed as Patricia, Nell, and the two Elenas returned.

"That's really pretty, Isa," Princess Elena smiled.

"Butterfly!" Elena giggled, clapping her hands.

"I thought you didn't like bugs!" Bobby Lee joked, tossing her up in the air.

"Spiders bad! Butterflies and ladybugs nice!" Elena giggled.

"That's right, sweetheart," Nell agreed.

Bobby Lee tossed Elena up in the air again, making her giggle.

"Mommy, can I talk to Grand Mommy and Grand Daddy?" Gabby asked, looking at Lydia and Edward's altars.

"Of course, sweetheart," Nell smiled. "I think they'd love to hear from you."

Gabby came up to Edward and Lydia's altars. "Hi, Grand Mommy. Hi, Grand Daddy," she greeted the pictures. "I'm Gabby. It nice to meet you."

"Elena, would you like to talk to Mama and Papa too?" Nell asked.

"Okay with Gabby?" Elena asked.

"Okay," Gabby smiled.

Elena came up with Nell. "Hi, Grand Mommy and Grand Daddy! I'm Elena!"

"They're your grandchildren!" Nell laughed before she sighed. "I just wish you could see them."

"They probably wish the same thing," Bianca admitted with a smile. "After you were the one to find them-"

"Holding hands," Nell finished with a small smile.

"They'd love seeing Elena and Gabby. I was telling Madeline earlier that Mama loved babies and loved playing with them when she and Sabrina were younger."

"Oh yes," Bianca smiled. "She used to work part-time at the hospital as a nurse, just like Miss Aleena, who is a part time Healer at the hospital here in Orillia, and her healing potion worked well on your wrist so you'd be all set for tonight."

"And she did a wonderful job," Nell agreed.

"Party now?" Elena asked, tugging on Nell's dress.

"Can't you wait a little longer?" Francisco asked with a smile.

"No Mr. Francisco man," Gabby answered, watching Elena flap her hands. "She no like waiting."

"Maybe you could answer some questions for us, Elena," Patricia suggested.

"What do you want to know?" Nell asked.

"What else do you do at a celebration like this?" Patricia asked.

"We know there's food, and people tell stories about their loved ones, but are there games that people play?" Sandra asked.

"I like games!" Elena cheered, her hand flapping turning to clapping.

"No. We don't usually do games," Princess Elena said with a smile. "But Elena is just too excited."

"You don't mind her flapping?" Gabby asked with a gasp.

"Of course not," Princess Elena smiled. "That's just part of her. Like I said when I came to visit you, I never noticed anything wrong with her."

"Really?" Gabby asked.

"That's right," Princess Elena smiled. "I just see a sweet, inquisitive, playful little girl."

"Games now?" Elena asked, jumping up and down. She turned to Isabel with a frown. "You ruin pretty cost room!"

"No she's not," Sofia assured with a smile. "Isabel's just trying it out."

"No! Ruin!" Elena pouted with crossed arms.

"Elena, calm down," Nell muttered, seeing her turn red.

"I'm out of here," Sandra said as she started to make her way out before Elena could start screaming.

"Elena, would you like to go to timeout again? But this time, Ambre won't be there with you," Nell said firmly.

"Wait a minute, Sandra," Sofia held up a hand. "Elena, why do you think Isabel ruined the costume?"

"Because Miss Bianca said that people won't like our cost rooms dirty!" Elena pouted with crossed arms.

Bianca blushed, completely horrified as she covered her face with her hands.

"Oh Love Bug.. Isabel's just wearing it," Nell explained with a smile. "She hasn't ruin it."

"I just wanted everyone to see what I'd found," Isabel explained. "I'm going to take it off and put it somewhere safe so it will be clean for tomorrow. I'm sorry if there was any confusion."

"You're fine, Isa," Princess Elena assured her. "Elena was just worried about something happening to the costume if you wore it before letting everyone see it."

Elena nodded with a sniff, having Nell hug her close.

Seeing Elena get worked up over clothing was new, alarming Nell a little bit as the normally playful three year old snuggled on her chest.

"Helen Genevieve, I'm sorry if I said anything wrong," Bianca apologized, "I know how much Elena Lydia loves wearing dress-up clothes and costumes as her regular clothes."

"I'd probably say the same thing, Bianca," Nell assured her as she turned to Elena. "Elena, would you like to change into something else and keep your costume pretty?"

"Okay," Elena sniffled.

"This is what we get for having Elena hang out with Amber," James whispered to Sofia.

"James!" Sofia lightly hissed as Nell and Elena had left. "Be lucky Amber didn't hear you!"

"Hey you get Gabby as a playmate! When am I going to get my own?" James pouted, crossing his arms.

"If Nell and Bobby Lee have a boy, you will get one," Sofia joked with a smile.

"Well, Mom says good things do come to those who wait," James admitted.

When Nell, Bianca, and Elena returned, Sandra asked, "Elena, what else do you do at a celebration like this?"

"Talk?" Elena asked with a smile.

"That's right sweetheart!" Princess Elena chuckled with a smile, messing up her hair. "We do talk!"

"So it's like updating them on our lives?" Nell guessed with a uneasy smile.

"If something makes you uneasy, you don't have to share it," Florence assured her.

"Thank you," Nell murmured. She glanced at her girls with a small frown. "There's just somethings I can't say in front of them yet."

"You did tell them about their real father," Bianca recalled, watching Nell nod softly. "It'll just be over a decade until they actually see him."

"Thank goodness for that," Florence muttered, knowing of Nell's talks to Jimmy whenever she had a free moment to herself.

"Can we talk about something happier now?" Nell asked.

"What do you want to know?" Bianca asked.

"Well I know that Bobby Lee had our costumes picked out but I've had it planned for months!" Nell chuckled with a smile. "I sorta took Elena and Gabby's Elsa and Anna book for awhile and looked through the pages for details and sewing."

"That does explain why you kept asking for bandages. I thought the girls were being clumsy!" Bianca admitted with a chuckle.

"Wait you've been making our costumes?!" Bobby Lee asked in surprise. "Then where are they?"

"In our guest room, hidden in the back of our closet so two nosey little girls we know won't find them," Nell smiled. "Is it all right if we're Anna and Kristoff this time around? We can be the Blues Brother and Sister next year."

Bobby Lee pouted for a minute, but Patricia suggested, "You can use Spike for your costume, Robert," Bobby Lee looked up in confusion, and Patricia continued, "Spike has a pair of reindeer antlers Ezekiel bought him. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you borrowed Spike, since we don't have any reindeer around here."

"Like Sandra says, when in doubt, improvise," Nell smiled.

"Okay," Bobby Lee gave in, "And I will keep an eye on Spike so Gabby's all right around him."

"And hopefully I can borrow Elena's snowman toy that she brought along with Kitty," Nell mused with a smile.

"Snowman?" Elena asked with a smile. "Why Mommy need him?"

"For Olaf," Nell smiled. "Unless Ambre would like to play him."

"A snow kitty!" Elena squealed, clapping her hands.

"Maybe you can play snowman with Ambre later, Elena," Sandra shook her head. "You know Spike and Ambre don't get along well together. We wouldn't want them fighting while we're taking you trick-or-treating."

"Okay," Elena agreed. "Spike and Ambre be nice!"

"Which means Kitty stays here and Mommy borrows Olaf," Nell smirked, kissing her cheek.

"But Olaf Elsa's snowman!" Elena yelled, clapping her hand.

"Elsa built Olaf for Anna, remember?" Nell smiled.

"Yeah!" Elena cheered. "Mommy can borrow Olaf!"

"Thank you, Love Bug," Nell smiled.

She wrapped her in a hug before letting go.

Nell just couldn't believe that she was old enough to actually look like the princess of Arendelle.

"We be princesses together!" Elena cheered.

"Yes we will," Nell smiled back.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"Let's do it now?" Florence whispered to Nell.

Nell smirked. "No time like the present," she whispered back. "You and Bianca take Elena and Gabby to Bobby Lee's and my room, and we'll be with you in a few minutes."

"All right," Bianca smirked. She motioned for Elena and Gabby to follow her. "Come along, girls. We're going to get another surprise ready for Daddy."

"A surprise for Daddy?" Bobby Lee repeated. "Tell me what it is!"

"You'll find out in a few minutes, Robert," Florence smirked. "You know good things come to those who wait."

Bobby Lee rolled his eyes, but he knew not to question his mother when she was planning a surprise.

Behind him, Nell smirked. Soon, Bobby Lee would learn a lesson he wouldn't soon forget. She glanced over at James, who was sampling some of the food that was still out. He wouldn't suspect a thing either.

"What we do with Daddy and James?" Gabby asked in confusion as she sat on Nell's side of the bed.

"Pretty!" Elena giggled, spotting some of Nell's jewelry before Bianca smirked.

"Maybe we can use some of her jewelry, Elena Lydia," Bianca muttered with a mischievous smile.

"We can look through it in a minute, Love Bug," Nell smiled, "Don't you want to surprise Daddy first?"

"Yeah!" Elena jumped up and down and clapped her hands.

At that moment, they heard a knock on the door, followed by a voice. "Well, I've tried to figure out what that surprise is, but I don't have a clue! It looks like you've got me, Helen!"

"Oh, we've got you all right, Robert," Nell murmured. She raised her voice. "Come in!"

"Come in!" Elena and Gabby repeated before bursting into giggles.

Bianca and Florence gave them toys to keep them occupied as Nell couldn't help but smirk.

"Well, isn't this a wonderful surprise," Bobby Lee smiled as he came in. "All my favorite girls together in one spot!"

"Oh yes," Nell smiled. "Now, why don't you sit down and unwind, and we'll give you that surprise."

Bobby Lee sat down next to her, and Elena climbed up on his lap. "Love Bug, do you know what the surprise is?"

"I know what it is," Nell said as she motioned for everyone to surround Bobby Lee. "It's called 'Payback for What Daddy's Teaching the Girls!'"

"Payback?" Bobby Lee wondered in surprise. "What are you-"

"Oh your poor father. He would be disappointed with how you're acting!" Florence interrupted with the sound of mock weeping.

"Daddy? How's he on this?" Bobby Lee wondered, starting to become confused.

"He never called me names," Florence started, "He never made comments about loud noises at night..."

"He never called Florence a horrible snarling monster!" Bianca added.

"Girls, Daddy needs a human shield!" Bobby Lee shouted as he was pushed onto the bed.

"The girls can't help you now, Robert Lee Johnson!" Nell shouted. "Ladies, let's get him!"

"Go to James girls," Florence whispered, blowing Elena and Gabby a kiss.

Elena and Gabby nodded, seeing that the women had their daddy taken care of for the moment.

They paused, hearing their daddy laughing as he started fighting everyone. "Get Daddy?" Elena giggled.

"Get James first," Gabby reminded her.

"You call yourself a junior guard, Robert?" Nell teased him, "You can't even fight off a bunch of girls!"

"Hey there's three of you and only one of me!" Bobby Lee pouted before glancing at his daughters. "Where are you going Gab Gab?"

"Get James," Gabby answered with a smile. "He mean too."

"No be Jack Daddy!" Elena yelled before the girls had left to find James.

The girls found James in his room. "James come with us!" Elena called.

"Why?" James asked.

"Mommy gots surprise for you!" Gabby smiled.

"What is it?" James asked.

"It surprise!" Elena said as she and Gabby pulled James up and dragged him from the room.

"Where are you taking James?" Sofia asked, seeing them pass by her door.

"He needs to see Mommy," Gabby said as she and Elena pushed him.

Sofia shook her head softly making her way back to her room without another thought.

"James heavy!" Elena panted upon reaching Nell and Bobby Lee's room.

"Don't worry Elena, Mommy will get him," Gabby assured her with a smile.

"She will?" Elena asked with a giggle. "Good Mommy!"

"What's going on?" James asked. "What's Nell getting me?"

"You see soon!" Gabby smiled.

They came to Nell and Bobby Lee's room, and Elena called, "Mommy!"

"Bring him in, Love Bug!" Nell called.

The girls dragged the prince of Enchancia inside before Elena had ran into Nell's lap.

"Mommy is he bad?" Elena asked, stroking some of her mommy's hair.

"For helping take care of you, no," Nell paused, "For calling me all those names and saying all those mean things about monsters, you bet he is! Ladies! Next victim!"

James didn't have time to run before Florence and Bianca caught him and pinned him on the floor.

Florence smiled to herself when she heard James laughing under them; this reminded her of how she and Richard used to play with Bobby Lee when he was younger.

They were simpler, more happier times as she saw Elena and Gabby run towards them.

"We tick James too!" Gabby yelled, joining Bianca and Florence.

"Daddy?" Elena asked, looking at their mommy with big eyes.

"Yes you can get Daddy," Nell smirked, taking her in her arms.

"I wasn't doing any extra writing!" James protested, trying to push Gabby away.

"Maybe not, but you were making extra comments," Nell smirked, recalling that Roland and Miranda always had to "convince" James to take a break from writing every so often. She glared down at Bobby Lee. "Who's the horrible snarling monster now?"

"Still you!" Bobby Lee laughed under Florence, Nell, and Elena.

"Daddy be nice to Mommy!" Gabby shouted.

"I am so nice to Mommy!" Bobby Lee shouted back.

"No you not!" Elena shouted, flapping her hands excitedly.

"We thought we heard laughing," Miranda smirked with a smile.

"Can we join?" Roland asked, trying to hide his own smirk.

"Yes King!" Elena yelled, flapping her hands again.

She glanced up, seeing Zoe and Sandra's older brother stare at her.

"I was coming here to see what's going on but Elena flapping her hands like a bird is more interesting," he smirked, making Elena frown.

Before he could say another word, he saw Sandra come up to him. "Zeke! Mom told me to get you," she greeted him. "She told me she wants someone to hand candy out to the trick-or-treaters."

"Really?" Ezekiel asked, thinking that Sandra's timing was suspiciously perfect.

"If you don't believe me, go find her and ask her yourself," Sandra replied. "I'd hand out candy myself, but Mom and Dad know I'm taking Elena, Gabby, and everyone out for trick-or-treating."

Ezekiel sighed. He'd wanted to say something about Elena, but he knew that if that happened, he'd be in the stables for another month. "Okay," he muttered as he walked off.

"Are you okay, Elena?" Sandra asked, seeing her frown, but at the same time Elena brightened.

"Yes! You join us too?" Elena smiled from where she was with Florence and Bianca.

"Maybe later," Sandra couldn't help but smile at what was going on. She glanced over at James and Bobby Lee. "I know nothing about this, and I'm not getting involved. Bye, boys."

"SANDRA!" James and Bobby Lee yelled together as Miranda joined those around Bobby Lee and Roland loomed over James.

"Elena sad?" Gabby asked with a frown.

"A little," Elena muttered softly.

"It's all right, Elena; Sandra caught Ezekiel before he could do any real harm," Nell assured her. "Will you be okay for trick-or-treating tomorrow?"

"That's right," Miranda smiled. "We're all excited to see your pretty Princess Elena costume."

Elena smiled. In all the excitement, she'd almost forgotten about trick-or-treating. "Yeah!"

"Can we get off the floor now?" James asked with a smirk.

"I think I hurt a rib," Bobby Lee groaned, rolling his eyes playfully at his wife.

"Oh, in a hundred years you'll have forgotten all about it," Nell smirked as he and James sat up.

"Well, after this, shall we let you continue getting ready for trick-or-treating?" Roland asked, mussing James' hair.

"Treat!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands.

"Elena, no no. Don't do that," Nell gently scolded, swatting Elena's hands.

"Why?" Elena asked in confusion.

"You saw how Ezekiel acted when you did that," Nell reminded her. "It's lucky for you that Sandra distracted him."

"Why?" Elena asked.

"It seems to me that Ezekiel is like an older version of Jack," Bianca observed. "You and Helen Genevieve have told us quite a bit about this boy, and all the trouble he causes you. Sandra did tell us once that Ezekiel comments on everything."

"Bianca's right," Nell agreed. "if Ezekiel sees you flap your hands, you can be sure that he'll say something. James tried to stand up for you, but that almost led to trouble."

"I bad girl?" Elena asked.

"No, Love Bug, but you have to be careful around Ezekiel," Nell cautioned. "It's true that we haven't seen him much while we've been here, but you never know when he'll show up."

"Okay," Elena muttered, frowning slightly. "Can I bring Kitty?"

"Kitty for trick or treating?" Bobby Lee asked with a smirk.

"I think that's a charming idea," Bianca smiled. "After all, Princess Elena has jaquins. Kitty will be the perfect accessory for the costume."

"That is a good point," Nell smiled. "We'll keep Kitty in your treat bag, just so she doesn't get lost as we go from house to house."

"Okay!" Elena cheered.

"Trick or treat now?" Gabby asked, tugging on Nell's skirt.

"Sofia did the same thing when she was their age!" Miranda chuckled with a smile. "She just couldn't wait a day."

"Elena?" Elena asked, looking up at her mommy. "I wanna see her."

"We can show her how your costume looks," Florence agreed.

"All right, if you feel that strongly, but then we have to put the costume away so you'll have it ready for trick-or-treating," Nell decided.

"Okay!" Elena cheered.

"Let's get your bee costume ready. Okay Gab gab," Bobby Lee said, tossing her in the air.

"Buzz! Buzz!" Gabby giggled, clapping her hands.

"Alright you little bee, I'll be with your sister!" Nell chuckled, kissing her cheek.

She helped the girls into their costumes, and led the way to Princess Elena's room.

Princess Elena smiled when she heard a knock on the door. She opened it, looked down, and smiled. "Who put this mirror in my doorway?" she asked, seeing her namesake dressed exactly like her.

"What mirror? It me!" Elena giggled.

When she heard the little voice, Luisa came up and smiled. "Isn't that just the most precious thing? We have to get a picture of this!"

The two Elenas sat on the bed with Kitty between them as Bobby Lee took their pictures.

"You forgot your scepter didn't you?" Princess Elena asked with a smile.

"Mommy said I couldn't bring it with me," Elena frowned before snuggling close to her namesake.

"Well I only use mine if I really need it!" Princess Elena explained with a chuckle. "So in this case I agree with your mommy."

"Okay," Elena smiled. She didn't want anything to happen to her scepter after the magic lady fixed it. She was still a little angry at Madeline for what happened, but she knew Madeline would be in timeout for a few days, both here, and when they got home.

Suddenly, Isabel came up. She turned to Elena and asked, "Elena, do you think you could help me with my costume?"

"Over here, Isa," Princess Elena grinned.

Isabel grinned. "You can help too!"

"Isabel pretty butterfly!" Gabby smiled.

"Well, I was going for fairy princess, but I suppose it can be a butterfly too," Isabel smiled. She glanced at the two Elenas. "Now I wonder which one is my sister."

"The one that calls you Isa and has a more variety of words to say," Nell offered, playing along with Isabel's little game.

"Oh, that's right..." Isabel paused, and picked up the little girl. "You're my sister!"

"Isa!" Princess Elena laughed, mussing Isabel's hair.

"Isabel, don't tease your sister," Luisa smirked.

"Okay, abuela," Isabel smiled, setting Elena down and hugging her older sister.

"I know it's all in fun," Princess Elena smiled.

"We like fun," Nell smirked, taking her Elena in her arms.

"Fun! Fun!" Elena giggled, clapping her hands before she yawned.

"Someone's sleepy," Princess Elena said, giving Nell Kitty. "You get her changed Helen, and I will put her to bed for you."

"Thanks, Princess Elena," Nell smiled. "She really wanted you to see her costume."

"And she looks beautiful," Princess Elena smiled. "By the way, we couldn't help hearing your little fiesta earlier. Is everything all right?"

"We were just teaching James and Bobby Lee a lesson," Nell smirked over at Bobby Lee. "It wasn't anything bad."

"Anything bad?!" Bobby Lee pouted before bowing towards Princess Elena. "Princess, hopefully Avalor doesn't have a mind like my wife's in term of punishment for calling someone a monster."

"Not likely," Princess Elena smirked as Nell playfully rolled her eyes. "I looked in Helen's room earlier, and it looked like you were all having fun," Princess Elena smiled. "But I know what you're saying, Robert...have you heard my cousin Esteban at night? I'm always tempted to call the guards to defend the castle!"

"Elena, be nice to your cousin Esteban," Luisa smirked.

"I am so nice to my cousin Esteban!" Princess Elena grinned.

"Where have I heard that conversation before?" Nell grinned at Bobby Lee, who smirked in return, and Gabby, who was asleep beside Elena.

"Looks like their excitement got the better of them!" Sofia chuckled, seeing the girls asleep in Nell and Bobby lee's arms.

"Where have you been Sofia?" Princess Elena asked with a smile.

"Amber and I were helping Sabrina and Sandra with their Animal Guide tattoos," Sofia smiled. "We're going to paint a picture of Ambre on Sandra's arm, and a picture of Whatnaught on Sabrina's arm tomorrow, so they won't have to sleep in paint and the designs won't be ruined."

"That's a good idea," Miranda agreed.

"And I love the Animal Guide books!" Isabel smiled. "Any time I ride one of the jaquins, I pretend they're my partner."

"So that's why I always saw you drawing jaquins on your arms," Luisa smiled. "You've always been a talented artist."

Isabel blushed softly as Elena moved in her sleep.

"Look like someone wants to ride one now in her dreams!" Nell laughed, stroking Elena's hair.

"And she is," Princess Elena smiled, seeing Elena cuddle Kitty.

"With Gabby right beside her," Bobby Lee smiled as Gabby cuddled closer to him.

"We better get them out of their costumes," Miranda suggested with a smile. "And into their night clothes."

"Before Mother or Bianca have a fit!" Bobby Lee laughed before clearing his throat.

"And have them sleep through dinner?" Bianca asked with a sake of her head.

"Maybe we'll wake them up later," Nell smiled. "We'll put them in their pajamas, they can eat, and then they can go back to sleep."

"I remember my first wife and I did that with James and Amber sometimes when they were little and there were events at night that we took them to," Roland smiled. "They'd play all day, then they'd fall asleep. We'd wake them up, put them in their pajamas, and we'd all go out. They'd fall asleep on the way home, so we just put them straight to bed."

"I sometimes did that with Sofia," Miranda smiled.

"Robert and I did that with Ezekiel, Zoe, and Sandra," Patricia agreed as she and Sandra came up. "And Sandra, thank you for telling Ezekiel he had to hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters!"

"No problem, Mom," Sandra smiled.

Elena started to stir in her sleep, looking to be nearly in tears as Nell gently shushed her, knowing what she was dreaming about.

Jack was sometimes part of her nightmares and as much as Nell hated to admit it, the little boy was nothing but a terror to her little girl.

"He's not here, Love Bug," Nell murmured, "You're safe. Jack can't bother you here, and Ezekiel won't be around when we're trick-or-treating either."

"I've got her," Princess Elena murmured. She started rocking Elena and softly singing, "This is my time, to honor my family and friends. My time, this is my time, once again." She smiled as Elena relaxed in her arms and fell asleep again.

"How's that phrase go again, music makes everything better?" James smiled.

"Yes it does," Princess Elena smiled.

Giving Elena back to her mother, the crown princess of Avalor walked out of the room with Nell and Bobby Lee, just in case her namesake needed it.

She had to admit that having an admirer that young and especially after being freed from the amulet for three years still shocked her but Princess Elena wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"What's gotten into Madeline Sabrina?" Sandra asked, petting Ambre.

"What do you mean?" Sabrina asked with a sigh.

"I just wondered about why she's doing all these things," Sandra started, "I know she took that apple Danish the first time she visited, but that was just a little thing, and I said taking treats I made happened all the time around here. But breaking Elena's scepter..." she shook her head in disbelief. "That was just plain mean."

"I know," Sabrina sighed. "I've tried to ask her why she acts this way, but she won't tell me."

"You think she's jealous of something?" Sandra asked with a frown.

"Well we were jealous of Elena and Gabby at first!" Sabrina admitted with a chuckle. "Then when they were born-"

"You couldn't keep your eyes off them?" Sandra interrupted with a smile.

"Yeah," Sabrina smiled. "Did you feel the same way about Zoe when she was born?"

"Well, when she was born, Zeke told me that we only needed two children in the family, and when a new baby came along, one of the older ones had to leave if a visitor didn't want it," Sandra grinned. "He and I tried to give Zoe to a visiting king, but Dad caught us. He told us that night that there was enough love in the family for everyone."

Sabrina giggled. She and Madeline had done something like that when Elena and Gabby were born, but she grew to love her nieces.

As she sketched Ambre and Whatnaught for Sandra's and Sabrina's Animal Guide tattoos, Amber smiled. She recalled the time James had been turned into a baby, and how the experience had brought them closer.

"I just don't understand what's gotten into Madeline," Sabrina sighed, putting her hands to her face. "We used to be so close Nell says but after Elena and Gabby's first birthday she changed."

"Changed? How?" Sandra wondered, knowing not to disrupt Amber in her drawing by not talking too loudly.

"Well Elena started acting out a little bit. First it was the lights and then she kept banging her head. If you were with us that night, you would've seen two bumps on Elena's head!" Sabrina chuckled with a smile. She sighed, glancing at Ambre who rubbed against her. "Madeline got so frustrated with Elena that I just can't talk about what she did with a lot of people."

"Sabrina, I'm going to tell you something I always tell someone if they want to tell me a secret," Sandra said to her, "What happens here stays here."

"Really?" Sabrina looked unsure at first.

"That's right," Sandra nodded. "I won't tell anyone about what we talk about here, so don't worry about it."

"I won't tell anyone either," Amber promised. "If you want anyone to trust with your secrets, Sandra and I are the ones to turn to...and Sofia, too."

"I like Sofia," Sabrina mused with a smile. "She has a good heart."

"I'll be sure to tell her that!" Amber laughed, sitting next to the girls.

"So what happened with Madeline? What did she do to Elena that you don't want to talk about?" Sandra asked, squeezing Sabrina's hand.

"Well, this was before Nell discovered she had autism," Sabrina began. "Nell, Madeline, and I were now living in the castle after we were rescued-"

"And about that," Sandra broke in, "I'm sorry I made that joke about Dad locking you in the dungeon after you and Madeline ate that apple Danish."

"I know," Sabrina smiled. "You knew what happened to us, and we knew you were only kidding. Anyway, a few days after we were rescued, Nell saw that Madeline wasn't feeling well. Roland had the castle physician check her over, and he said that she was suffering from a pretty bad virus. We had to take her to the hospital right away."

"What about her behavior toward Elena?" Ambre asked.

"I'm getting to that, Ambre," Sabrina said as she stroked him.

"Daddy was lucky that it wasn't all three of you. Especially Nell," Amber muttered as Sabrina grinned.

"Believe me Amber you were lucky you didn't hear her screaming at the castle physician when he told her that she was pregnant like I did!" Sabrina chuckled with a smile before she sighed again. "We thought that we were going to lose Maddie which was our nickname for her back then. Nell just couldn't take it, breaking down one morning in Miss Bianca's arms."

"I don't blame her," Sandra murmured, stroking Ambre, "I know I'd feel the same way."

"Yeah," Sabrina agreed. "A few days after it was discovered that Nell was pregnant, Madeline started saying that she didn't feel very well. She complained of a headache a lot, and she was always lying down in her room."

"That's good, right?" Amber asked. "You're supposed to rest if you don't feel good."

"Normally, that's the case," Sabrina replied, "But this one day, Nell, Madeline, Miranda, and I were in Nell's room, just talking. Madeline started complaining about a headache again. I got her some medicine, but this time, Madeline got a strange look on her face and she blacked out."

"I remember that," Amber shuddered. "I was on my way up to the observatory to look at the stars when I saw all of you running out with Madeline, and Mom was yelling for Daddy to get the coach to take her to the hospital. I tried to ask what was going on, but nobody would tell me."

"That's because Roland and Miranda knew that it was a family issue," Sabrina muttered, shuddering a little. "Nell wasn't too far in her pregnancy yet so she was allowed to go with them. She didn't want me scared of the closed doors of the hospital so Nell kissed my hand, promising to explain everything to me later."

"Did she?" Sandra asked, seeing Sabrina about to cry.

"She told me that the doctors told her, Roland, and Miranda that Madeline was suffering from a head injury in addition to the virus," Sabrina's voice started to break.

"Hold on," Sandra broke in, seeing someone pass by the door. "Miss Bianca?" she called, "We need to ask you something, and Sabrina looks like she needs you."

"Of course, Princess Sandra," Bianca smiled, "What would you like to know?" She entered, and saw that Sabrina was on the verge of tears. "Sabrina Marie, what's the matter?"

"I just wanted to know why Madeline was acting the way she was," Sandra admitted. "I'm sorry if I crossed any lines or if I'm getting into something I shouldn't."

"No, dear, you're curious about this, so of course you want to know all about it," Bianca smiled. She took Sabrina in her arms as if she were Nell. "There, there, dear," she murmured as she started rocking her back and forth, "You just let it all out and I'll continue the story."

"Okay," Sabrina sniffed, seeing Bianca stroking her hair.

"That's my sweet girl," Bianca shushed, feeling Sabrina sob on her shoulder.

"So what happened to Madeline anyway?" Sandra wondered, feeling guilty for making Sabrina cry.

She first rang for a maid to bring up some tea for Bianca, Sabrina, and Amber, some hot chocolate for herself, as she wasn't a tea drinker, and a bowl of water for Ambre. When they had their drinks, she said, "Sorry about that. Now, what happened?"

"Well, it was the first week of December when Madeline Elizabeth was admitted to the hospital after she fainted," Bianca recalled. "The doctors did all sorts of tests on her, and it was discovered that the virus she suffered from had partly affected the area of her brain that affects her mood."

"So she had mood swings?" Sandra suggested.

"I suppose you could call it that," Bianca agreed.

"And still has them," Sabrina grumbled with a sigh. "With Elena it only got worse."

"Do you want to tell them what happened?" Bianca asked with a small smile.

"Yes please," Sabrina said, being polite as possible. "A few days after Elena and Gabby were born, Madeline acted like she really liked them," she recalled. "She read our princess books to them, and always helped Nell when she needed it; don't get me wrong, I helped too. But when they were a few months older, Madeline was...what was it, Miss Bianca?"

"We noticed that Madeline Elizabeth was becoming colder and more distant to Elena Lydia and Gabby Anna," Bianca explained. "We didn't know what was wrong at first. Helen Genevieve and I thought that she might be jealous of the attention the girls were receiving, but it wasn't until her and Sabrina Marie's birthday that we noticed something was wrong."

"What was it?" Sandra asked in surprise.

"Well the girls were crawling by this time," Amber recalled with a smile. "They were so cute! Especially Elena!"

"Yes," Bianca smiled, "Elena Lydia would crawl up to one of us, and we'd have to give her a piggyback ride."

"I remember one time she crawled over to Daddy and he swung her up on his shoulders," Amber smiled. "He had just gotten her settled when Baileywick came up and said that he was needed in the throne room right away. He had to take Elena with him!"

"Miranda told me about that," Bianca smiled. "Luckily, Miranda was there as well, so she took Elena Lydia while Roland saw the person who needed to speak with him."

"As she was keeping Elena quiet, Mom noticed that Elena was starting to flap her hands, just like she does now," Amber continued. "She didn't think much of it at first, but she kept flapping her hands a few days later."

"Is that when Madeline did the thing to Elena that you don't want to speak of?" Sandra asked with a frown.

"No," Sabrina muttered softly with a frown.

"So when did it happen? And what did she do?" Sandra asked, going over and partially closing her door. She knew how Sabrina was about closed doors, but she still didn't want anyone, Ezekiel in particular, to come in and bother them while they were talking. "First, Sabrina, will you be okay with the door like this?"

"Yeah," Sabrina nodded, "The door's not closed all the way, but I'll let you know if I need it open further."

"Good idea Sabrina Marie!" Bianca chuckled softly, hugging her close.

"And Sandra it happened a few days after Elena and Gabby's first birthday," Amber recalled with a sigh.

"But their first birthday was adorable!" Sabrina added with a giggle. "Nell made this Elsa and Anna cake!"

"And let me guess...instead of the traditional birthday song, you had to sing Let It Go?" Sandra joked.

"How did you know that? You weren't there!" Amber joked.

"Call it a hunch, since Zoe likes Elsa and Anna too," Sandra smirked.

"At least you didn't get it stuck in your head!" Bianca laughed with a smile. "It wasn't easy trying to explain what I was humming to some of the maids."

"But you tried!" Amber smirked, petting Ambre as Sabrina sighed before squeezing her shoulder. "Sabrina, you can tell us what Madeline did. We're here for you."

"Sabrina Marie, we're the only ones here, and we've all sworn to keep this secret," Bianca assured her, putting an arm around her.

"Okay," Sabrina looked around and took a deep breath. "A few weeks after their birthday was when I first noticed Madeline acting even worse around Elena. She started making comments, since she was still having trouble walking, while Gabby was running. They weren't as bad as the ones Jack always makes, but you get the idea." She paused as Bianca and Amber nodded, but since Ambre and Sandra didn't know Jack, they stayed silent. Sabrina sighed as she continued, "She saw that Elena still preferred crawling to walking and would tease her."

"I remember that," Bianca frowned. "I'd make Madeline Elizabeth sit in timeout, but Elena Lydia would come over and try to play with her."

"But what happened?" Sandra asked. "The teasing and comments don't sound bad to me. Did Madeline hurt Elena somehow?"

"Unfortunately yes," Amber sighed, glancing at Sabrina who was biting her nails. "I've never heard Elena scream until that day."

"Miss Bianca would you like to tell it?" Sabrina asked, starting to turn pale. "Telling it makes me sick."

"All right," Bianca agreed. She motioned for Sandra to get the wastebasket that was next to her desk, just in case Sabrina needed it. When Sandra returned with it, Bianca said, "Madeline Elizabeth had brought Elena Lydia to her room with her. She started screaming at Elena to act like Gabby. Helen Genevieve heard her and came up to see what the problem was, and came in just in time to see Madeline Elizabeth push Elena Lydia off the bed. Elena Lydia landed hard, bumping the back of her head on a book that was on the floor, and on the bedpost as she tried to get up."

Sandra cringed herself at the image, picked up Ambre, and hugged him. "And Nell saw everything?"

"Helen Genevieve was, for lack of a better word, furious," Bianca murmured. "I rushed in and got Elena Lydia an ice pack to reduce the swelling from the bumps, and Helen Genevieve dealt with Madeline Elizabeth."

"Elena was so scared. So scared of Madeline that she started screaming," Sabrina shuddered, trying to shake the image out of her head. "She kept shouting no a lot."

"Her voice must've been so hoarse," Sandra muttered, anger rising in her veins. "If Madeline ever tries something like that again when you're back home..."

"She never did, thank goodness," Bianca assured her. "But Helen Genevieve and I grounded Madeline Elizabeth for a month, forbade her from having contact with Elena Lydia for that long, and we asked the castle physician to refer us to someone who might be able to properly diagnose the problem."

"Nell would talk to her every day during that time," Sabrina agreed. "Just like how she works with Elena on her feelings puzzle every day, she'd talk to Madeline and ask her how she's feeling."

"Did Madeline have a feelings puzzle of her own so she could show you how she was feeling?" Sandra asked.

"No, she's not autistic like Elena Lydia," Bianca explained. "Madeline Elizabeth was able to tell us how she was feeling every day, rather than show us."

"And did it work?" Sandra wondered with a smile.

"Yes. Madeline admitted that she was upset with Elena being different," Sabrina sighed with a smile of her own.

"When we first learned about Elena having autism, Sofia, James, and I went to the castle library and we found all sorts of books on autism," Amber agreed. "We gave Nell and Bobby Lee all kinds of tips on what would keep Elena calm, what they had to do when she had one of her meltdowns, and what they needed to do so Elena wouldn't become overwhelmed by something."

"James even started training his dog Jagger to be Elena's therapy dog, right?" Sandra asked.

"That's right," Bianca agreed. "He learned that autistic children respond well to animals, like dogs and horses, so Roland, Miranda, and I suggested that James have Jagger learn how to be Elena Lydia's therapy dog."

"Just never take Kitty from Elena. Ever!" Sabrina warned with a small laugh. "Unless you're Nell or Bobby Lee. Otherwise goodbye to your sleep and ear drums!"

"It's happened before," Bianca smirked with a smile. "We cannot say that Kitty is getting washed whenever she's dirty."

"Then what do you say?" Sandra wondered with a small smile.

"We say Kitty's taking a nap and she can't be disturbed for a little while," Bianca smirked. "Elena Lydia usually responds well to that."

"Ah, yes; let sleeping kitties lie, right, Ambre?" Sandra asked.

"Always a good idea," Ambre purred, "Although I have had dreams of someone putting hats on me or putting little toys next to me and taking my picture as I'm sleeping!"

…

"Oh hey Madeline! Just coming to say goodnight!" Nell chuckled, stroking her sister's hair that evening. "Everything okay?"

"No," Madeline sighed with a frown.

"Really? What is it?" Nell wondered, sitting down next to her.

"Are you sure I can't go to just one house tomorrow?" Madeline asked. "I heard Sandra talking about the house that gives out cans of pop as a Halloween treat, and I wanted to see it for myself."

"I'm sorry, Madeline, but the punishment stands. But don't worry," Nell assured her, "We're all going to get you extra treats. Including your own can of pop from that house."

"It was nice of Sandra to think of me during the celebration tonight, wasn't it?" Madeline smiled a little.

"Yes it was," Nell said as she hugged her.

"I want to do something nice for her to say thank you," Madeline continued, "Can you help me?"

"That's a nice idea," Nell smiled. "What do you have in mind?"

"Don't know," Madeline muttered with a sigh.

"Don't know?" Nell smirked with a smile. "Madeline, have you forgotten about us O'Malleys are known to take risks?"

"Oh we've taken plenty. Well you anyway!" Madeline chuckled with snuggle against Nell's chest. "Especially months before Elena and Gabby were born."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Nell asked.

"You were the leader of our troublemaking as children," Madeline smirked, catching Nell's glare. "Miss Bianca and Miss Florence told me."

"I was a firecracker back then," Nell smiled nostalgically before she sighed. "Before everything changed. Maddie, you wanna know what I would've been doing had everything not happened to us?"

"You would have married Bobby Lee anyway?" Madeline asked.

"Maybe," Nell shrugged. "He's made up for how he used to act around me, and he's always been there for me when I needed him."

"And traveled some?" Madeline guessed with a smile.

"Whoa! Madeline I'm not Duchess Tilly!" Nell laughed with a smile. "Okay maybe a little. With Papa's permission."

"Would you have traveled with us?" Madeline asked.

"Of course!" Nell grinned. "And you know Bobby Lee liked playing with you and Sabrina when I introduced you to him when you were only a day old!"

Madeline smiled as she remembered Bobby Lee spinning her and Sabrina around the room when they were Elena and Gabby's age. "I've seen him playing with Sofia, James, and Amber too."

"He loves them! Sofia loves it when he plays with her and her animals, helping her garden if needed. James loves when they sing together. And he becomes a full on nerd when watching the stars with Amber!" Nell chuckled, taking Madeline in a hug.

"But If Mommy and Daddy lived through their sickness," Madeline muttered softly, burying her head in Nell's chest.

"Mama would have loved watching the stars with Amber and dancing with her," Nell smiled. "If James didn't accompany Mama if she sang, she'd accompany him as he sang. And she'd love meeting Sofia's animal friends, especially her bunny, since that was her favorite animal."

"And Daddy?" Madeline asked.

"Papa used to love astronomy," Nell remembered. "He'd look up at the stars at night and tell me that the stars were dancing. We'll have to tell that to Amber now." When Madeline smiled and nodded, she continued, "He'd love playing with James, since he only had you, me, and Sabrina. But he'd definitely love being with Sofia."

"What would she do that he likes?" Madeline asked.

"He'd say that Sofia reminds him of Mama," Nell smiled. "She's so helpful, sweet and thoughtful, and treats everyone like they'd want to be treated."

"But how would we live in the castle if Mommy and Daddy were with us?" Madeline asked in confusion. "The boys at school say that it's your fault for us being able to live in the castle and have fancy things and clothes."

"My fault? Maddie, I don't understand," Nell muttered, placing Madeline in her lap. "I send you two to the village school so you can learn what I learned."

"But they see us going to the castle when school lets out," Madeline admitted. "They drive past the castle with their parents and they always yell 'Go to your princess school, princesses!' or something like that."

"Do you know their names?" Nell asked, her Protective Angry Older Sister nature becoming activated.

"There are a lot of them," Madeline admitted. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember all the names."

"Don't worry, Maddie," Nell said, pulling into another tight hug, "When we're back in Enchancia and I drop you and Sabrina off at school, I'll walk you up to the door. That way, I can see what's going on."

"You'd do that?" Madeline asked.

"You bet I would," Nell assured her. "You're my little sisters. Ever since I saw you two pink and rosy wrapped up in blankets that Mama explained to me that Florence had made, I couldn't keep my eyes off you."

"So what does that make us if adults be mean to you?" Madeline asked with a smile.

"Pardon?" Nell smirked, messing with Madeline's hair.

"If you can be our Protective Angry Older Sister, can Sabrina and I be your Protective Angry Younger Sisters?" Madeline asked.

"You bet you can," Nell grinned. "And you can bet that if anyone were to mess with any of us, the offender would pay!"

"Not bad, Nell! It PAYS to watch James when he does his word games and crossword puzzles!" Madeline grinned, finding an acronym in the phrase she was using.

"Too bad it doesn't work with me," Nell muttered.

"No fair!" Madeline pouted with crossed arms.

"Come on. I'll get my pajamas and personal stuff and sleep with you tonight. What do you say to that?" Nell asked with a smile.

"Great!" Madeline laughed, softly looking up at her sister. "But you're married now."

"I'm sure Bobby Lee won't mind one night away from the supposed 'horrible snarling monster,'" Nell smirked.

"Aren't I being punished enough?" Madeline called after her.

"The room's big enough for two beds," Nell assured her. "We'll move one bed farther away from the other one so you don't have to hear me."

"Good," Madeline joked, "Because I'm tired of having dreams of being chased by someone riding a broken lawn mower and someone wielding a rusty chainsaw!"

Nell groaned gently, shaking her head. "I'll be back. I even brought something with me that I'm sure you two remember from long ago."

"What is it?" Madeline wondered with big eyes.

Nell returned a few minutes later, and handed Madeline a blonde-haired doll wearing a white dress that had cherries on it. "Look me in the eye and tell me you don't remember her!"

"Chrissy!" Madeline gasped, seeing the doll that she'd had since she was two. "You kept her all this time?"

"That's right," Nell smiled. "I know this isn't the dress she wore when we were Jimmy's prisoners, but Bianca and I thought she might like a new look. And don't worry. Her other dress is at home."

"She looks great," Madeline smiled. "Sabrina's going to be surprised to see her."

"And we'll show her in the morning," Nell promised.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Nell awoke the next morning to see Chrissy still in Madeline's arms. She smiled to herself at the sight of Madeline holding the doll she'd had since she was two years old. "That should calm Madeline down today," she said to herself as she looked at the picture of their mother and father.

Chrissy seem to have a calming effect on Madeline; she hadn't awakened once during the night. Nell smiled at her youngest sister, who was still asleep. Her smile became a smirk; whenever she spent the night with Madeline, the girl was known for sandwiching her head between two pillows, which acted as makeshift earmuffs, so she'd be "somewhat protected from Nell's freakishly loud snoring." As she got out of bed, she thought, 'I'd better go see if Elena and Gabby are awake.' She knocked one of the pillows off Madeline's head as she slipped from the room.

Madeline awake a few hours later. "Good morning, Chrissy!" she smiled at the doll, then got herself ready for the day. She got dressed, brushed her teeth and hair, and made her and Nell's beds. Before leaving the room, she went over and gently shook Sabrina's shoulder. How her older sister was able to sleep through something as loud as Nell's snoring was a complete mystery. "Sabrina, you awake?"

"I am now," Sabrina mumbled, "Madeline, what do you want?"

Madeline smiled and held Chrissy out. "Sabrina, look what Nell still has! It's Chrissy! With a new dress!"

Sabrina smiled. She hadn't seen Chrissy in a long time. "Chrissy!" she smiled as she took the doll. She held her for a minute, then passed her back to Madeline. She looked around. "Where's Nell?"

"She must have gone to check on Elena and Gabby," Madeline replied.

"It's part of her routine!" Sabrina chuckled before giving Madeline a hug. "I'm sorry that you can't come with us tonight."

"I know. But after saying all those awful things, I kinda deserve my punishment," Madeline sighed, sitting down on Sabrina's bed.

"Bri, I don't mean to be who I am sometimes. Don't tell Nell but Jimmy and Beth and Robby have gotten to me lately and I've done some things to my arms that I'm not proud of."

"Madeline, whatever it is, even if it's just paint, you can tell me," Sabrina assured her with a smile, making Madeline unsure. "Maddie, we're twins and twins share everything. Even colds."

"I know," Madeline admitted, "But I'm not ready to share this secret yet."

"Okay," Sabrina said after a few moments, "But you know that when you're ready, Nell and I will listen."

"I know, and thanks," Madeline murmured. She brightened a moment later. "So, Miss Bluecape, are you ready to trick-or-treat?"

Sabrina grinned. "As soon as Amber helps paint my squirrel on my arm, I am!"

"That's great," Madeline smiled. "Make sure Bobby Lee gets a picture of you in your full costume for me!"

"Well with him being 'Anna's boyfriend' I'll probably get something out of ice instead!" Sabrina joked, hugging Madeline before looking at Madeline's sleeves in alarm. "Maddie, your sleeves are staining a little and it looks like you know what happens to Elena and Gabby sometimes when they fall."

"Bleed? Sabrina, I'm sorry I- I just can't say," Madeline muttered with a sigh. "Here why don't I help you get ready this morning? Nell told me that we used to do it all the time! With her help for laces and things like that. And you'll be out of here faster!"

"Maddie, I'm sorry, but Nell really needs to see this," Sabrina said firmly. "And don't worry about my laces; I can find someone to help me." She looked out the door and saw Nell coming up to them. "Nell! Madeline needs you. Now!"

"Sabrina, what's the matter..." Nell trailed off when she saw the red stains on Madeline's sleeves. "Madeline Elizabeth O'Malley! Have you been scratching your arms again?!"

"Again?" Sabrina gasped. "Madeline, you've done this before?!"

"A month after Nell found out she was pregnant," Madeline confessed. "Nell saw me scratching my arms, and she thought I was being bitten by mosquitos. She said not to scratch and she gave me some medicine for them, but I just kept scratching."

"She told me that Jimmy, Beth, and Robby have gotten to her," Sabrina confessed to Nell.

"The sooner those three are executed, the better!" Nell growled. Her angry look softened when Madeline and Sabrina started crying. "Oh, Madeline, my little Butterfly, I'm so sorry I didn't know how bad this was. And Sabrina, baby girl, I'm so sorry you had to find out about this."

"I didn't mean to! They just wouldn't leave!" Madeline sobbed, burying her face in Nell's skirt.

"Did you have that nightmare of when we're older again?" Sabrina asked with a frown.

"No!" Madeline yelled, looking up at her sisters. "It was with Elena and Gabby!"

"You mean...they were after Elena and Gabby this time?" Nell asked. When Madeline nodded, Nell gripped her sisters in a tight hug. "Madeline Elizabeth, Sabrina Marie, I promise both of you, those three will never see the light of day again," she vowed. "What's more, Jimmy McDonald will never EVER set eyes on Elena and Gabby!"

"You promise?" Madeline asked.

"I swear, by everything I hold dear, that Jimmy McDonald, and his worthless family, will NEVER come near us again!" Nell said firmly. "Now, Madeline, what do you say we get your arms cleaned up and bandaged?"

Madeline nodded, and followed Nell to the bathroom.

"Am I in trouble for tattling?" Sabrina asked, helping Nell get supplies.

"No no. Baby girl, you did the right thing," Nell said, helping Madeline out of her shirt. "Butterfly doesn't need an inflection."

"Infection?" Sabrina suggested.

"She doesn't need that either," Nell smiled. "And let's not tell James or Sandra about that little slip. We know how good they are with words."

"What happens here stays here," Sabrina repeated what Sandra had told her.

"That's right, Sabrina!" Nell chuckled. "Now, what do you say we go down to breakfast?"

"Yeah!" Madeline and Sabrina cheered.

With the girls dressed and Madeline's arms covered in bandages, Nell took the girls by the hands.

"Girls! No throwing!" Bobby Lee scolded, causing Sabrina and Madeline to giggle at their nieces.

"Is everything okay?" Nell asked.

"Helen! There you are," Bobby Lee smiled. It turned into a smirk as he added, "No wonder I slept so late and I feel so refreshed!"

Nell started to reply, but she was cut off by Elena and Gabby. "Mommy!" Elena cheered as she and Gabby jumped into her arms.

"Good morning, you two! Are you ready to go trick-or-treating tonight?" Nell asked.

"Yeah!" Gabby jumped up and down.

"Cost room now?" Elena asked.

"How about we start getting you ready after lunch?" Bobby Lee suggested. "A lot of us are going trick-or-treating, and some of us take longer than others to get ready!"

"Very funny Bobby Lee!" Amber smirked, giving Sabrina a smile before turning to Patricia and Robert. "Sorry about Elena and Gabby throwing their food. James taught them that."

"All boys do it!" Florence laughed as Patricia chuckled in agreement. "Though I hope it doesn't stick with Elena and Gabby forever."

"Believe me it won't," Bianca assured her before softly smiling at the three sisters. "So girls how was your little sleepover last night?"

"Is that what it was? I thought it was sister time!" Madeline joked as Nell and Sabrina could see a glimmer in her eye.

"Sister time! Sister time!" Elena sung, giggling as she flapped her hands.

Nell reached out to stop her when she saw Sandra come up. "Is everything okay? Nell, I want to apologize for last night," she greeted her, "And don't worry; Zeke's been given the morning off today since he's going to be up late tonight helping with trick-or-treaters and the castle's Halloween party, so he and Spike are still sleeping, so they didn't see Elena flapping her hands."

Nell smiled. Bianca and Sandra had told her about what they'd discussed with Sabrina last night about Madeline. "We're fine, Sandra. And you don't have to worry about a thing. I know you were just curious about it, and I appreciate you keeping what you learned a secret."

"Of course," Sandra said, hugging Nell close. "You've been through so much. How can you be so strong?"

"Sometimes I think back to what I do have and other times I think of the princesses. My childhood favorites were Cinderella, Belle, and Mulan so they're my main inspiration in times of trouble," Nell admitted as a piece of pancake landed on her head. "Elena! Gabby! Who threw that?!"

Sandra saw Elena and Gabby pointing at each other and joked, "Don't start with the 'it was like that when I got here' routine, girls; squires, both male and female like me and James, and junior guards, like Bobby Lee, are the only ones who use that!"

"Good idea, Sandra!" Bobby Lee joked back, mussing her hair.

"If one more piece of food is thrown, the one responsible won't be going trick-or-treating," Nell said firmly.

"I be good!" Elena shouted.

"I be good too!" Gabby shouted.

"And you, James? You be good too?" Nell smirked over at James.

"I'm always good," James smirked back.

"Most of the time," Amber smirked, playfully rolling her eyes.

"Besides Gabby Anna here thought it would be a good idea to practice their throwing of food in case of a 'mean doggie' comes near them at any point tonight," Bianca explained as Gabby glared at her.

"Gabby, Mommy understand," Elena assured her sister who looked ready to cry.

"Of course I do," Nell murmured as she picked Gabby up and hugged her. "Gab-Gab, you don't have to worry about mean doggies. The ones we've seen around here are very well behaved. But if one does come up to you, you know Daddy's here to protect you. He won't let anything bad happen to you, and neither will I."

"Okay," Gabby smiled. "Cost room now?"

"How about we eat first, then we talk costumes?" Nell smiled as they went to the dining hall.

"Okay," Gabby muttered, looking up at her mommy with a smile. "Me and Elena be good!"

"Very good!" Elena yelled, jumping up and down. "Sofia good!"

"Sofia good?" Nell smirked, knowing her little girls and when they want to be silly.

"I clone myself one time, and I never hear the end of it!" Sofia pretended to pout. "How many times do I have to apologize for that?"

Roland scooped her up, and he and Miranda covered her with kisses. "Sofia, we forgave you for that a long time ago!" Miranda smiled as Sofia giggled in their arms.

Roland nodded beside her. "And we know how you feel. Sometimes you feel like you have to be in two places at once and something has to be done. But you did learn a valuable lesson from it."

"I did. Plus helping Mr. Cedric clean up his workshop for a week instead of having lessons kinda reminded me never to clone myself again," Sofia said, feeling Elena and Gabby tug on her dress. "No. I'm not cloning you two."

"You're enough trouble as it is!" Bobby Lee smirked, covering the twins in kisses.

As everyone sat down, Elena and Gabby watched as Sandra followed the maids into the kitchen to help with cooking and serving. "What Sandra doing?" Elena asked.

"She's helping in the kitchen before she eats with us," Patricia smiled.

"Remember how Sandra said she had to work in the kitchen, then she kept doing it?" Nell reminded them.

"We help too?" Elena asked.

"No, you stay here and eat," Nell smiled. "Sandra knows what she's doing."

"Oh yes," Bianca agreed. "After our talk, she said she was going to the kitchen before she went to bed. She started working on something that looked delicious."

Sandra came out with the maids, and placed a big pan of something on the table. "Okay, everyone, eat while it's hot!"

"What that yucky thing?!" Gabby asked with crossed arms.

"Gabby Anna!" Bianca scolded, trying hide back her laughter.

"Well it does look kind of yucky," Bobby Lee smirked, musing Gabby's hair.

"Why it jello?" Elena asked with a frown.

"It's not," Sandra smiled. "It's just a new egg recipe I wanted to try. I hope you all don't mind being my guinea pigs."

"Of course not," Roland smiled as Sandra helped serve everyone.

"It's what we're here for," Robert agreed.

"No matter what Gabby Anna says, this looks wonderful," Bianca smiled, "You know you didn't have to go to such trouble for us, Princess Sandra."

"It's no trouble," Sandra assured her as she helped pass around a plate of sausages, "You know I love helping in the kitchen, and I always look for recipes to try."

"Besides it never hurts for my girls and husband to try new things," Nell smirked, seeing Gabby and Bobby Lee's sour looks. "Even if two of them are very picky."

"Yummy jello!" Elena giggled, clapping her hands.

"Eggs sweetheart," Patricia smiled, happily liking that Elena liked Sandra's food.

Gabby watched as Bobby Lee took a deep breath and sampled some of the egg dish. She was surprised to see him smile. "Sandra, this is amazing!"

"Sandra good cook?" Gabby asked.

"Just try a little bit, Gab-Gab," Bobby Lee smiled.

Gabby took a small bite. "Yummy!"

"I'll write down the recipe for you," Sandra offered.

"Please do!" Bianca smiled.

"Boo boos?" Elena asked, noticing the bandages on Madeline's arms bleeding a little.

"Nell! Elena's looking at my bandages!" Madeline pouted before shuddering softly. "I'm scared."

"Maddie, it's okay. Elena's just curious," Nell assured her with a smile before seeing egg on Elena's face.

"I kiss it better?" Elena asked as Nell cleaned her up.

"Are you okay?" Zoe asked.

"I'll be fine," Madeline assured her. "Elena, I appreciate the kiss to make the boo-boos better, but I really don't want to get into how I got them." She looked around anxiously, thinking that Ezekiel would show up to give her a hard time, but she remembered that he wasn't there.

"Okay," Elena smiled and hugged her.

"If you don't want to tell us, we won't pursue it," Robert assured her, Patricia nodding at his side.

Madeline smiled. "Thank you!"

After changing Madeline's bandages and cleaning up Elena and Gabby, having her at least thankful that unlike their infant days she didn't have to carry baby wipes around, Nell want straight to her and Bobby Lee's room.

She found herself in their shared closet, mindful of Bobby Lee's clothes as she sometimes forgot that he was a size smaller than she was.

She smiled as she located the Anna costume she was going to wear tonight. She picked up Bobby Lee's Kristoff costume and brought it out with her. She was lucky she remembered to wash the paint off her knuckles; a mix of the Blues Brothers and Princess Anna, though interesting, would look weird.

She picked up Elena's toy snowman, thinking that it would be a cute accessory to the costume. "Do you want to build a snowman..." she sang softly.

Nell softly hummed the rest of the song, braiding her hair like Lydia and Bianca had once taught her.

"It's too early to build a snowman!" Madeline chuckled, coming into the room.

"Madeline, I know that! Though I think it's Princess Anna's interest. Like Elena and kitties!" Nell joked with a smile.

"Will you braid my hair like that?" Madeline asked.

"Of course! Come on in," Nell smiled, letting Madeline sit on the bed. As she worked on her hair, she said, "Maddie, even though you can't go trick or treating tonight, Patricia talked to me about a compromise. She said she's going to need someone to help entertain at the Halloween party. Cedric and Aleena are going to be doing their magic, of course, but I mentioned that I've often heard you singing a certain queen's song when you're in your room. I'd see you wave your hands like a certain someone does, and you sound wonderful!"

"What are you saying?" Madeline asked, not wanting to get her hopes up.

"Aleena helped make this for you," Nell smiled, holding out a child-sized version of Queen Elsa's dress. "If you're interested."

"You bet I'm interested!" Madeline grinned. "Thank you, Nell! And I'll be sure to thank Aleena too!"

The two sisters hugged before Madeline frowned, looking away from her sister for a moment.

"What if the people don't like me?" Madeline asked with a frown.

"Maddie, they will," Nell assured with a kiss on the cheek.

"I don't know," Madeline muttered softly, looking down at her arms. "Stupid Jimmy."

"I couldn't agree more," Nell smirked. "But it's going to be all right. People won't see the scars since a lot of them are faded. We'll also talk to Aleena about a concealment spell for the fresher ones, so if anyone comes close to you, they won't see anything."

"That sounds okay," Madeline admitted, "Just so long as I don't have to tell anyone about them."

"Don't worry, butterfly," Nell smiled. "If you don't say anything, they won't say anything. And even better news: Aleena said you can keep the outfit."

"Wow!" Madeline gasped, "So next year I use it as a costume?"

"That's the idea," Nell smiled.

"Let me go! Girls I need to get to your mommy!" Bobby Lee yelled playfully as he came into the room with Elena and Gabby hugging his legs.

"Aw! They love their daddy!" Madeline giggled, walking over to the twins. "Girls are you playing a game with Daddy?"

"Yeah!" Elena giggled as Bobby Lee tossed her up.

"You play with us too?" Gabby asked.

"Not while I'm in timeout, I can't," Madeline sighed. "But maybe we can read together, since James sometimes does that with you when you have timeouts."

"That's fair," Nell agreed. "While it's true you can't go out, you can do something together inside."

"Help with cost room?" Elena asked.

"I'd love to," Madeline smiled.

Nell smiled, watching Madeline leave with her daughters as Bobby Lee placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We've gotten good at this parenting thing haven't we?" Bobby Lee joked with a grin.

"Oh believe me Robert we have more firsts to get through!" Nell laughed, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"We'll get through it one day at a time," Bobby Lee smiled.

"Mommy jewelry?" Elena asked.

"I did say they could look through my jewelry for anything they wanted for their costumes," Nell smiled. "Okay, girls, let's see what we can find to make your pretty costumes prettier!"

"Yay!" Elena and Gabby giggled, jumping up and down.

"Just not Mommy's necklace!" Madeline warned, helping them look. "Nell would not be happy if you took it."

"Mommy not happy?" Elena asked with a frown.

"No. That's her necklace," Madeline grinned, patting her head.

"I'll look through the jewelry box with you," Nell offered. "I'll show you the pieces of jewelry you can borrow, and the ones you can't."

"Okay," Elena smiled.

"Okay," Gabby agreed.

"I'll even let you borrow something, Maddie," Nell continued, "But you know Mama's necklace is off limits to you too."

"Nell, I think you forgot that I have my own copy of Mommy's necklace, thanks to Mister Cedric," Madeline reminded her.

"Right. Being old has made me forget somethings," Nell joked with a smile.

"You're not that old!" Madeline laughed with a clap of her hands.

"Thank you, Maddie," Nell smiled. "You always know what to say."

"So does this mean I get time off for good behavior?" Madeline asked with a smile.

"Nice try, Madeline," Nell smirked, "But don't worry. The time will go so fast you won't even notice it."

"Nell, I'm eight. My time out is like Elena's meltdowns," Madeline frowned before taking Elena in her arms. "But I love my nieces!"

"Auntie Madeline cost room?" Elena asked with a smile.

"Yes I do have one!" Madeline grinned, kissing her cheek. "I'll be helping Mr. Cedric and Miss Aleena tonight."

"We see you?" Gabby asked.

"Don't you want to trick-or-treat first?" Nell asked.

"Yeah!" Elena and Gabby shouted.

"Well, you can do both," Madeline assured her. "The party won't be starting until eight o'clock tonight, and you'll be back before then."

"That's a good point," Nell agreed. "Sure. We'll take the girls out, then we'll come back and see you at the party."

"Good idea," Madeline grinned, walking towards Nell's bookshelf and tossing some classic literature books before finding a narrow child's book. "Elena! Gabby! Look what Mommy's been hiding!"

"Elsa and Anna book!" Elena giggled, looking through the book. "Why a sticky here?"

"Oh. That's for the design," Nell muttered, softly, glancing at her husband in embarrassment.

"That's right; you wanted us to be Anna and Kristoff," Bobby Lee remembered. "And there's another page marked for Madeline's Elsa dress right here."

"I can trick or treat as Elsa next year! Nell said so!" Madeline smiled.

"Yes I did," Nell smiled.

"Sticky bye bye?" Elena asked with big eyes. "Sticky don't go in book!"

"Unless it's important," Princess Elena smiled, picking up her namesake. "Ready for trick or treating little one?"

"Treat! Treat!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands excitedly.

Nell looked around, just to make sure Ezekiel wasn't around. When she saw that the coast was clear, she said, "Elena, sweetheart, please try not to flap your hands. You were lucky just now, since Ezekiel's won't be around until tonight, but we're going to go around the village with Sandra later, and a lot of people won't understand what you're doing. You're not a bad girl," she added, seeing Elena start to tear up, "but you don't want people to say the wrong things, do you?"

"I be good girl," Elena promised.

Nell kissed her forehead. "That's all I'm asking."

"But why can't I flap?" Elena asked with a frown. "It part of me."

"She's got a point," Bobby Lee grinned, musing her hair.

"We know, sweetheart, but you don't know any of the people in the village where we're going," Nell reasoned. "They might be like Jack and say something, or they might not. We can't know for sure. However, if you feel like you have to flap your hands, Daddy and I will be on either side of you, and we'll make sure someone is in front of you and behind you. That way, you can flap your hands, and people won't see it."

"Camouflage?" Bobby Lee suggested. "Good idea, Helen!"

"We can try it for the first few houses, anyway," Nell reasoned. "But try to keep your hands still when you're on a porch and someone gives you treats. You can flap when you're back with us and they close the door."

"Like you say, it's worth a shot," Bobby Lee agreed.

"Yeah!" Elena cheered.

"In that case, we'll leave Anna and her ice harvester to get ready," Madeline grinned, taking Gabby by the hand.

"Bye bye Mommy!" Elena giggle, grabbing onto Princess Elena's hand.

"Are you excited about trick-or-treating?" Princess Elena asked.

"Yeah!" Elena smiled. "You dress up too?"

"No, but you and I can be twin princesses," Princess Elena smiled. "And anyway, my grandparents are taking Isa with us, so they'll be able to come and see you show everyone your costume as well."

Elena smiled at the words, hugging her idol close.

Princess Elena's family was very kind and very nice as the three year old hoped to one day visit Avalor and maybe get her chance to ride a real life version of Kitty.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Elena didn't like waiting or really knew what it meant as Bianca used Kitty to distract her.

She didn't mind Kitty being a distract, hugging her close as Princess Elena played with Gabby a game she had played with Isabel as a child while translating the lyrics since the twins didn't speak Spanish.

"You want to play with us, Elena?" Princess Elena asked, motioning her over. "Isa and I used to play this with our mommy when we were your age."

"Okay!" Elena giggled.

Nell smiled as she watched the girls play with Princess Elena. That game used to be one Lydia played with her when she was their age. Later, when she, Sabrina, and Madeline had been Jimmy's prisoners, she taught her sisters the game to cheer them up, and sometimes even used the song as a kind of lullaby at night.

"I swear I'll burn up in all this," Bobby Lee grumbled as Nell hold her laughter, lifting up a gloved hand.

"Bobby Lee I didn't say anything about the gloves!" Nell chuckled, motioning him over.

"And the white steak isn't allowed?" Bobby Lee joked with a smile.

"It's an authentic Anna costume, so of course I have the white streak in my hair," Nell smirked. "Kristoff didn't wear gloves all the time, so you don't have to either."

"Now you tell me," Bobby Lee grumbled good-naturedly, ripping the gloves off.

"You'll be fine," Robert chuckled as he poked his head in the door. "And at least the weather's not too cold tonight. When Ezekiel, Zoe, and Sandra were younger and they went trick-or-treating in cold weather, Patricia and I had them wear coats over their costumes."

"That's a good idea for future Halloweens," Nell agreed.

"And hopefully they'll be comfortable for Elena," Bobby Lee smirked, twirling Nell in the air.

"She doesn't like wool coats?" Robert asked in surprise.

Nell shook her head with a smile. "She says they itch."

"I don't blame her," Bobby Lee smirked. "Mother said I never liked wearing wool coats in winter, and I still don't!"

"Sabrina and Sandra will both have hooded cloaks as part of their costumes," Nell added. "So they'll be somewhat warm tonight. And James has a cape as part of his Zorro outfit."

"What about Sofia, Amber, Zoe, and Isabel?" Bobby Lee asked.

"They'll find something," Patricia smiled. "In fact, I saw Amber looking at some cloaks earlier. She can find some way to make it work with her outfit."

"Mommy! Daddy!" Elena giggled as Princess Elena and Gabby followed behind her.

Then she frowned, confused with what they were wearing, thinking in her head that the characters that they were being had replaced them.

"Princess Anna! Kristoff! You see Mommy and Daddy?" she asked, thinking that Elsa's sister and her boyfriend had also come to Orillia for a visit.

"Wow, I knew these costumes were good, but I didn't think they were that good!" Nell grinned as she picked her up. "What do you think of Daddy's and my costumes, Love Bug?"

"Mommy!" Elena cheered, recognizing her mommy's voice. She turned to Bobby Lee. "Daddy!"

"Gotcha!" Bobby Lee grinned, taking her from Nell and spinning her around.

"Meanies," Gabby grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Aw Gabby! We're not mean!" Nell cooed, picking her up. "Elena just got confused."

"Just like Isa," Princess Elena reminded her with a smile.

"Okay, you not meanies," Gabby smiled.

"Thank you, Gab-Gab," Bobby Lee smiled, tossing her up.

"You do know her wings are fake and she can't really fly, right?" Nell smirked.

"She knows I'm here to catch her," Bobby Lee smiled.

"Treat now!" Elena giggled, dragging Nell by her dress.

"Love Bug I know you're excited but we have to wait sweetheart," Nell explained, stroking her hair.

"But that a long time!" Elena pouted, looking ready to cry.

"It's not too long," Sofia said as she came up to them in her butterfly costume. "I found a leotard with long sleeves, and Mister Cedric put a spell on my wings so if it gets too cold, they'll turn into a jacket. But when I step onto someone's porch, the jacket becomes a pair of wings again."

"Zoe and I found long-sleeved dresses we're using, and we even have long gloves to keep our hands warm," Amber agreed. She saw Sabrina and Sandra approaching. "I finished painting their Animal Guide tattoos a few hours ago. Take a look!"

Sandra extended her arm and showed Elena the picture of Ambre. "Kitty!" Elena smiled, clapping her hands.

"What do you think of my squirrel, Elena?" Sabrina asked, showing Elena her own arm.

"Cute!" Elena giggled.

"Whatnaught would be honored," Sofia smiled.

"Yes he would," Madeline smirked, though not exactly friends with the squirrel.

"Auntie Madeline!" Gabby giggled, clapping her hands. "Look! Look!"

"She sees Gabby," Bobby Lee smirked, kissing her cheek.

"I Elsa last year," Elena explained, tugging on her idol's dress. "Now I you!"

"And you look beautiful," Princess Elena smiled, kissing Elena's cheek.

"We pretty together!" Elena smiled, flapping her hands. "Uh oh...can't flap. Sorry Mommy."

"No, Love Bug, remember? When you're around people who are used to it and know why you do it, it's acceptable," Nell explained. She still kept an eye out for Ezekiel, even though she knew he wasn't there, but she thought, just to be on the safe side. She nodded to herself when she didn't see him, and hugged Elena.

Elena giggled before bumping into Madeline who smiled softly at her.

"I'll save you any food from the party," Madeline assured her with a smile. "I know how antsy grown up parties make you and Gabby."

"But you our auntie," Elena looked puzzled.

"You've been hanging around James and Sandra way too much," Madeline grinned. "Their talent for word play has rubbed off on you!"

"Sandra make cookies?" Gabby asked.

"A few weeks ago I made cookies for the Halloween party," Sandra said as she came up to them, "The chefs and I froze them so they'd still be good for tonight. We set them out to thaw after you were done with breakfast."

"That's a very good idea," Bianca agreed.

"Very good indeed!" Nell chuckled, seeing Elena tugging on Princess Elena's dress. "I know Love Bug you wanna go now!"

"Buzz! Buzz!" Gabby giggled, running around the room. "Buzz! Buzz!"

"Come on Gab Gab, I think you're ready to go," Bobby Lee smiled, taking her hand.

He and Nell led the girls to the front door where everyone was starting to meet. "Well, don't all of you look nice," he smiled as he looked over their costumes.

"Where kitty?" Elena asked, looking around.

"Kitty's in your treat bag, remember?" Nell said as she opened Elena's treat bag. "She's just in there so she's safe and won't get lost while we're going out. But if you mean, where's Ambre, I don't know."

"He's probably in my room or Mom and Dad's room," Sandra replied. "I told you how he is about strangers, and there are going to be a lot of strangers here tonight."

"It's probably best if he stays someplace safe," Bianca agreed. "He'll be away from the noise, and he won't be around those who are allergic to cats."

"Even if it is all in their heads!" Sandra smirked.

"Yeah! They love kitties!" Elena giggled, clapping her hands.

"What have you done?!" Nell asked Sandra in mock anger, knowing that she was just playing.

"Letting us kitty lovers enjoy ourselves?" Sandra joked with a smile.

"Sandra, be nice to Ezekiel and King Roland," Patricia smirked.

"I am so nice to Ezekiel and King Roland!" Sandra smirked back.

"Me too!" Elena giggled, going over to Roland and hugging him.

"Well! I didn't know you were keen to hugs Princess Elena!" Roland chuckled, messing up her hair.

"King! It me!" Elena pouted with crossed arms.

"Of course it is, sweetheart," Roland smiled. "Aren't I entitled to a little holiday humor too?"

"Of course you are," Nell smiled.

"Are you going to?" Gabby asked, jumping up and down.

"Well we would but I'm sure our children can handle being by themselves for a few hours," Miranda smiled, patting Sofia's head.

"Why not we?" Elena asked with a frown.

"Because you're still little!" Princess Elena laughed before turning serious. "Besides Mommy and Daddy wouldn't want you lost would they?"

"And we'll be there as well, just to make sure everyone stays out of trouble...James!" Bobby Lee grinned at James.

"Everyone will be on their best behavior...won't they, Sandra?" Nell grinned.

"What's everyone looking at me for?" Sandra asked innocently, "I'm the good one!"

"Me too!" James pretended to pout.

Elena and Gabby giggled, clapping their hands as Sandra and James playfully pouted.

With their bags in hand and making sure a trip to the potty had been taken care of, the girls were ready to go outside and treat or trick before Nell knelt down close to Elena, stroking her hair.

"Just remember what we talked about, Love Bug," Nell murmured. "If you need to flap your hands, Daddy and I will keep you hidden, but once you're on someone's doorstep, keep your hands still."

"Okay, Mommy," Elena whispered.

"Let's go!" Gabby shouted.

"You heard her, let's go!" Sandra said as she led everyone out.

"You sure Elena will be alright?" Bobby Lee asked, making Nell smirk.

"She'll be fine!" Nell laughed, kissing his cheek. "I've never seen you this worried."

"Call it fatherhood," Bobby Lee grinned, taking her hand. "I never want anyone to mess with Elena."

"We're going with them too, so if anyone wants to give Elena a hard time, they'll have to go through us!" Nell assured him.

"You're right," Bobby Lee smiled.

They were just going out the door when they heard, "Nice outfits." They turned, and saw Ezekiel smirking at them.

Elena moved closer to Nell and looked up at her, wanting her to tell the mean boy to go away and not bother them.

Ezekiel circled the group until his eyes fell on his sisters. "And what are you supposed to be, Sandra?"

"Out of here," Sandra said stiffly, "Let's go, everyone!"

"Nice one," Bobby Lee whispered, giving her an approving wink.

"And leave them alone!" Madeline yelled, coming towards the group. "Ezekiel, you don't have to be mean just because you can't go out!"

"Oh what are you going to do with your hands Madeline? Make ice appear?!" Ezekiel laughed as Nell stepped forward.

"No she's not the queen of Arendelle. But that doesn't mean you can mess with her!" Nell growled with crossed arms. "Or my children!"

"Zeke, would you like to go to the stables for another month? Because if we have to get Daddy, it'll happen," Zoe warned him.

"Ooh, fancy-dancy, Zoe!" Ezekiel smirked. "And Sandra, you and Sabrina have something on your arms."

"Don't say anything, Sabrina, it only encourages him," Nell whispered.

"Ezekiel, must you comment on everything?" Amber asked, hugging Sabrina, who looked like she was about to cry.

"Let's just go," Sandra murmured, leading everyone out. "We'll deal with Zeke's attitude later. Right now, let's have some fun."

As they left the castle, Sabrina had moved back to walk with Nell. "I'm sorry, Nell," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "I..." her thought was lost as she buried her face in her sister's side.

"Oh, Sabrina, baby girl," Nell murmured, stroking her hair, "It's all right. You just walk with me on Elena's other side, and forget about Ezekiel."

Sabrina nodded with a sniff as Nell turned to Bobby Lee.

"Ezekiel is a bad hat," Nell muttered, remembering one of the books with the little girl from France. "I mean I would call him a more adult word but not in front of the children."

"You can curse him out as much as you want in our room when we get back," Bobby Lee assured her.

"And we'll tell Mom and Dad, unless they heard him already," Sandra agreed, Zoe nodding at her side.

They arrived in the village of Baraga a few minutes later. "Where we go first?" Gabby asked.

Sandra looked at the houses. "There!" she pointed at a purple house.

"Is that the famous house that gives out cans of pop?" James asked.

"No, that's a little farther down the street," Sandra replied. "I'll let you know which one it is."

Elena nodded, looking around for anyone else dressed as her idol.

She frowned, not seeing many before cheering up as she saw kitties everywhere.

"Come on, Elena," Sandra said as she took her hand and led her to the front steps. She knocked on the door as everyone joined her. When the door opened, she led the chorus of "Trick or treat!"

The door opened, and an elderly couple opened the door. "Well, Princess Sandra! Princess Zoe! This is quite the little group you've assembled!" the man smiled.

"These are our friends from Enchancia," Sandra introduced them. "Everyone, this is Maudie and Marcus Duncan. And you're right, Elena; they do have a few cats around."

"Aren't you just adorable!" Marcus smiled as he got out his camera.

"Marcus is the village photographer," Sandra explained. "He takes pictures of all kinds of events around the village, and he's been to the castle a few times."

"Thank you, sir," Nell smiled as he put the camera away, "Can we have a copy of your pictures?"

"Of course!" Marcus smiled. "When I get them developed, I'll bring them right to Enchancia Castle. And no charge," he added, seeing Nell start to get out some money, "Consider it a belated Halloween treat."

"Thank you!" Nell smiled, everyone echoing her as they accepted their treats and went on their way.

"Kitties!" Elena squealed, seeing kitties of all kinds follow her.

"Well look at that! Someone has a parade!" Bobby Lee smirked, seeing the kitties look at Elena.

"Elsa, Anna, Isa..." Elena trailed off, naming some of her kitty followers.

"Blinky, Spanky, Shemp..." James added, mussing Elena's hair.

"Next house right here! And it's the house that gives out cans of pop!" Sandra called.

"Now this one I want to see!" Bobby Lee grinned as he took Elena's hand and led her to the porch. He fixed her hair, then they rang the doorbell.

The door opened, and everyone chorused, "Trick or treat!"

Elsa, one of Elena's kitty followers, rubbed against her as the three year old stared at the house known for its infamous cans of pop.

Elena tried to shoo Elsa away before feeling a hand tap her shoulder.

"You found some of my cats did you not?" A gentle voice asked as Elena picked up Elsa.

"Kitties love me," Elena explained with a smile.

She looked up to see an middle-aged woman. "I'm Yvette Morgan, and my son and his family live here," the woman pointed to the house as she picked up Spanky, or as Elena called him, Anna. "I was coming over to help set up their Halloween party when these three little darlings got out. Thank you for finding them. Their mother's so worried. They're not quite old enough to leave her, but they've gotten out a few times."

"We'll take them back with you, Ms. Morgan," Sandra said as she picked up Isa. She saw Elena's sad look and said, "Next time you come here, you can visit them. But right now, Elsa, Isa, and Anna have to go back to their mommy."

"Okay," Elena agreed. She went with Ms. Morgan and Sandra to take the kittens back, and they returned a few minutes later with extra candy, and two cans of pop each.

Everyone was amazed, and enjoyed the special treats they got. With cheerful calls of 'Happy Halloween!', they went on their way again.

"So they do exist!" Bobby Lee chuckled, ready to try his can of pop before Nell swatted his hand.

"No Bobby Lee! You have to wait!" Nell scolded as he playfully pouted.

"Sorry you got no more kitties," Gabby muttered, seeing Elena's sad look.

"That's all right," Nell assured her, "Sandra said you could visit them when they're older."

"Actually, check your bag, Elena," Sandra replied, "Let's see if you got one too." Everyone looked up as she took out a small wrapped package and opened it. "I know you're supposed to wait until we're back home to do this, but this is the only house on the street where you can open your treats as soon as you get them."

"A new Kitty!" Elena cheered, opening her own after Nell gave her permission.

Elena was right. Everyone, not just she and Sandra, had been given a small plush cat.

"Whenever we do something nice for Ms. Morgan, she gives us little toys like these," Sandra explained.

"Now these are brilliant Halloween treats!" James grinned as he put his plush cat in his bag.

"But Kitty still my favorite!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands.

"Elena bad!" Gabby scolded with crossed arms.

"Gabby Anna O'Malley, she's allowed to when it's just us," Nell reminded her with a smile.

Gabby looked around. There were some children around, but they weren't paying any attention to Elena. They were all focused on getting candy. "Sorry, Mommy. Sorry, Elena," she muttered.

"Don't give it another thought, sweetheart, I know you were just thinking of everything we talked about," Nell assured her. "You're doing just fine."

"Okay," Gabby smiled. "Next house now?"

"Next house now," Nell grinned, messing her hair.

"Will there be kitties?" Elena asked with a smile.

"No, there aren't any kitties," Sandra said as they followed another group. "This is the house that has that dog that came running at me when I was a Buttercup. I should also warn you: make sure Elena does not flap her hands."

"They have children like Jack?" Elena asked.

"Jack is a bully back home and he teases Elena," Nell explained. "I'm sorry; we'd mentioned him before, but we forgot to tell you who that was."

"It's okay. He's not as bad as Zeke, is he?" Sandra asked.

"We've called Ezekiel an older version of Jack," Nell explained. "Jack calls Elena 'sped', and he teases her just because she has autism."

"Well, there are two kids here that would make Jack look like a saint," Sandra murmured. "Just like Zeke comments on everything, so do they. Just watch yourselves, don't make too much small talk, and be careful."

Nell nodded, seeing Elena frown at the thought of another Jack. Shushing her, Nell held her hand before knocking on the door.

"Treat! Treat!" Elena giggled, clapping her hands.

"We know! Now don't be picky!" A voice hissed, making Elena frown again.

Sandra followed with Zoe and Gabby, and Zoe saw that her shoulders were starting to rise back. "It's okay, Sandra," Zoe whispered, "Like you said, leave Gus alone, and he'll leave you alone."

"Trick or treat indeed," a woman frowned. "The only time little brats come around here on Halloween is to vandalize the house!" She arched an eyebrow. "Princesses. Hopefully you'll keep your hooligan friends in check."

"Hooligans?" Amber blurted out, "Ma'am, some of us are royalty from Enchancia!"

"Amber, like the song says, let it go!" Sandra whispered nervously, seeing the dog coming up to them.

"Gus! Get back!" a male voice broke in. "And don't mind Mona, your majesties," he added as he started handing out candy. "Her bark is worse than her bite."

"Thank you, sir," Nell smiled, squeezing Sandra's hand as she and Elena came up for candy.

"Impressive sewing," Mona muttered, looking up from Nell and Elena's costumes. "How much did it cost you?"

"Not a cent," Nell replied, being polite as she could. "I made mine and my family's costumes."

"Very nice," Mona admitted, "My mother taught me to sew, and your dress reminds me of one she made years ago."

"My mama taught me to sew as well," Nell smiled. "I see you've got a lot of crocheted things here too. My mama's friend loves making things like that."

"Really?" Mona looked up. "If only my daughter Carol was as interested in needlework as you are. But she's more into being with her friends than staying with her mother."

"They grow up so fast," Nell chuckled. "If I'm not being too forward, since I'm going to be here for a few more days, my friends and I could visit you and we could do some sewing together."

Mona smiled. "I'd like that."

"No doggie!" Gabby whimpered, seeing the dog come up to her.

"Don't mind Gus, sweetheart," Mona's husband assured her, "He may be getting older, but he likes meeting children."

"Ross is right. Our Gus is a sweetheart with little ones!" Mona chuckled with a smile. "I'm sorry for how I was earlier."

"Why were you that way?" Sofia asked, seeing Elena hug Gus.

"I'm just so tired of having to make excuses for how Carol and William behave," Mona sighed. "They tease the younger children, and their older friends come by every Halloween and vandalize the houses. We've asked them why they act like this, but they never tell us. And they'll be back later tonight."

"And we'll probably be back at the castle by then," Sandra admitted. "But maybe tomorrow we'll see them."

"Maybe," Ross smiled as everyone got their treats.

As they wished Ross and Mona a happy Halloween and went on their way, Sandra whispered, "It's a pre-Wassalia miracle! They were actually nice! But I shouldn't really complain; Ross caught Gus and sent him back home when he ran at me. Then he walked me to the Buttercup meeting when I was younger."

"He nice!" Gabby giggled, clapping her hands.

"More house?" Elena asked with a smile.

"You want more candy?" James joked with a smile.

"Yes!" Elena flapped her hands, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Elena!" Nell whispered, but her warning was just a second too late.

The group looked up when they heard mocking laughter. "Well, well!" a girl who looked about as old as Sandra smirked. "Will, look at this! She thinks she's a bird!"

"She's a bird, huh?" the boy named Will smirked. "Well, then, little birdie, fly up for your candy!" With a smooth motion, he grabbed Elena's treat bag and held it over his head.

"KITTY!" Elena screamed.

"Now you've done it," Sandra murmured. "Both of you back away from the treat bag!"

"And who are you to tell us what to do?" Will smirked.

"Princess Sandra," Sandra glared at them.

"And I'm the mother of the little girl who's bag you took!" Nell growled, seeing Elena about to cry. "So give it back."

"Fine. We'll give it back," William smirked before taking Kitty out of the bag. "Gus is going to enjoy his new chew toy!"

"KITTY MINE!" Elena screamed, pushing him down. "YOU NO TAKE!"

Suddenly, they heard a new voice. "William! Carol!" Everyone looked up, and saw Ross, Mona, and Gus approaching them.

"Gus! Come get it, boy!" William shouted, tossing Kitty up.

Luckily, before Gus could catch Kitty, James caught the little jaquin toy and handed her to Elena.

"Thank you, James," Elena said between sobs.

Mona turned to the two troublemakers. "Both of you march yourselves home right now!"

"I apologize for those two; we've taught them better than this," Ross assured them when William and Carol were gone. Then to everyone's surprise, he added, "And I recognize some of the signs of autism; my cousin has it as well."

"And one of my aunts," Mona agreed.

"I good girl?" Elena asked in between sniffs.

"Yes you are," Mona cooed with a smile, taking Elena in her arms. "I'm so sorry."

"No. I bad girl," Elena sniffed, hugging Kitty close. "I no listen to Mommy."

"We thought we were alone, sweetheart," Nell murmured. "It's not your fault."

"You know, I think we've had enough sad feelings for tonight," Ross smiled. "How far along have you gotten with your trick-or-treating?"

"We were only going to go around the village, then go back to the castle," Bobby Lee replied as everyone nodded in agreement.

"I wouldn't mind seeing the castle's Halloween party," Mona smiled.

"Then consider yourselves our guests," Sandra spoke up, Zoe nodding beside her. "But will your kids be all right by themselves after what just happened?"

"They'll be fine," Ross assured her, "They usually spend the rest of the night in their rooms, and they'll be asleep when we get home."

"Great! My sister Madeline will be with the little ones and Cedric and Aleena will be with the older ones," Nell explained with a smile.

"And there'll be drinks!" Bobby Lee laughed, earning a glare from Nell.

"Home?" Elena asked with a smile.

"Elena sad?" Gabby asked with a frown.

"A little," Elena admitted. "I not supposed to flap, but I did."

"Sweetheart, what happened was not your fault," Nell said as she picked her up. "You did flap a little bit when we went to some houses, but nobody saw it. We just forgot to cover it this last time. It wasn't your fault, it was ours."

"My cousin flapped his hands all the time, no matter how he felt," Ross assured her. "Some people just thought he was nervous about speaking to someone when they saw it, since your hands tend to shake when you're scared. My family and close friends knew it was a part of him, and we accepted it right away."

"My aunt used to get so excited about something that she'd start flapping her hands as well," Mona agreed. "We used to joke that she drank too much coffee, but we knew what was going on."

As they were talking, the group walked into the castle. "We're back!" Sandra called.

"Elena, what happened?" Princess Elena asked before the little girl who cherished her started to cry.

"Meanies happened!" Gabby growled with crossed arms.

"We ran into a little trouble as we were trick-or-treating," Sandra explained as Robert and Patricia came up. "Two kids took Elena's treat bag and almost turned Kitty into a dog's chew toy, but James saved it. Their mom and dad," she motioned to Ross and Mona, who bowed and curtsied to Princess Elena, "stopped them. We talked, and Zoe and I invited them here to the party."

"That was very nice of you, girls," Patricia smiled. "Ross, Mona, so nice to see you again. Thank you for helping Elena. Sandra, why don't you and Zoe take everyone to the ballroom? We're just about to start."

"You know them?" Zoe asked.

"Royals know everyone!" Bobby Lee joked, taking Gabby by the hand.

"They do?" Gabby asked in confusion. "Like Elena's at is him?"

"Well not every royal does," Nell smirked before smiling at Elena cuddling Kitty.

"I'll be right behind you, Zoe, but first, Elena, why don't we take Kitty upstairs?" Sandra suggested. "She can have her own party with Fig, and our new toy cats. And she can rest after her little adventure."

"Okay!" Elena smiled. "Kitties have kitty party!"

"That sounds like a good idea," Nell smiled. "Why don't I come with you, just to make sure Kitty's okay?"

"Okay. And don't worry, Sandra," Zoe assured her, "I can handle everyone here."

"Okay. We'll be with you in a minute," Sandra added as she led the way out.

"So how's it like being an only child for a few hours?" Sabrina asked Madeline with a smirk upon seeing her.

"Okay I guess," Madeline muttered softly, glancing at her sister with a frown. "It's too crowded in there. I don't want you scared."

"I'll be alright," Sabrina murmured. "I'm not in a room with a closed door, and if I get scared, I know you or Nell can take me out until I feel better."

"Of course we will," Nell smiled as she saw Elena and Sandra come back to them. "You just let us know if you need to get out."

Sabrina nodded, taking Madeline's hand as the twins giggled happily, almost making Nell shed a tear.

"Mommy no sad," Elena said, snuggling against her.

"They're happy tears, Love Bug," Nell smiled. "I'm so happy everything's turned out so well for us."

"As are we all," Bianca smiled. "Now, shall we start the next part of our Halloween celebration? I can't wait to hear Madeline Elizabeth sing her song!"

"And I wouldn't be surprised if she has company before she reaches the first chorus," Nell chuckled, knowing how much Elena and Gabby loved the song Queen Elsa was famous for.

"We no sing!" Gabby giggled, holding her hands over Elena's lips.

"We be good!" Elena muffled, flapping her hands.

"You sure?" Bobby Lee asked with a smirk.

"Okay, we sing too!" Gabby squealed as Bobby Lee tossed her up.

"I'm sure Madeline will love that," Nell grinned.

"Let's go, everyone!" Sandra called, leading the way to the ballroom.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

When Elena, Nell, and Sandra came back to the ballroom, they saw that everyone was having a great time. They loved Cedric's Morph-o-Mirrors and Aleena's fountain, which squirted them with perfumed water. "Daddy get me this?" Elena asked.

"We'll see, Love Bug," Nell grinned. She looked over at Madeline, who was helping entertain everyone.

"Hi, Nell! Did you have fun?" Madeline asked.

Nell noticed that Madeline's voice was starting to sound raspy. "Madeline, are you all right?"

"I think I did a few too many choruses of Let it Go as I was helping entertain everyone," Madeline whispered.

"You're starting to lose your voice?" James asked as he came up and handed her a can of pop. "Here, have the pop I got from trick-or-treating."

"Thank you, James!" Madeline whispered. "Was it like this when you lost your voice?"

"A little," James admitted, "Only Amber gave me juice and ice cream, and that was after we learned that I had laryngitis."

"I'm sorry that happened," Nell murmured.

"Me too," James sighed, "I didn't even know I was losing my voice until I had to go up and sing. I coughed and cleared my throat, but it was no good. And the rest, as the saying goes, is history. I exiled myself from singing in public, and only sang behind my closed bedroom door. It wasn't until a few months after you and your sisters came that I was convinced to sing in public again."

"Luckily, you don't have to worry about that," Nell smiled. "And I know what will make you feel even better." Madeline looked up, and Nell hugged her as she said, "It's true that you're still grounded for the rest of our time here, but you can spend that time resting. And instead of two weeks in your room at home, it's only going to be one."

Madeline smiled. "Thank you, Nell!" she whispered.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," Nell smiled as she hugged her.

"Elena, where are you going?" Gabby asked, jumping up and down.

"Play with Princess Elena!" Elena giggled with her toy specter in hand.

Gabby shook her head softly, knowing Elena well enough not to make her upset.

Princess Elena smiled as she saw her namesake coming toward her. "Well, hello, Elena," she smiled. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah!" Elena grinned. "Kitty's having a kitty party with Sandra's kitty Fig, and the kitties we got trick-or-treating!"

"Well, we'll let them have their fun," Princess Elena smiled. "Would you like to take a walk around the room and say hello to everyone?"

"Yeah!" Elena cheered, being careful not to flap her hands, since there were several strange people there. She remembered what Nell had said earlier, and Kitty's rough treatment at the hands of William and Carol, but Ross and Mona said they understood what was going on.

"Nell, I'm scared," Madeline whispered with a cough as Nell patted her back.

"You'll do great," Nell promised with a smile. "Just try to avoid high notes."

"But don't you do them all the time?" Sabrina asked with a smile. "Especially with those older western songs?"

"That's different," Nell blushed, smiling softly. "I'm careful with my voice range."

"You know if you need help, Nell and I'll sing with you," Sabrina added.

"Thank you," Madeline whispered.

"It won't do you any good," they heard a voice behind them. They turned, and saw Ezekiel smirking at them. "You sounded just like Sandra when she sings! Wait...you sounded better than Sandra!"

"Ezekiel, we didn't ask for your opinion," Nell said stiffly. "I suggest you leave before we have King Robert summoned. And we will be telling him about what you said to Sabrina and how you made her cry!"

"You won't have to summon me," Robert said as he came up to them, "I heard about everything that happened before you went out. Ezekiel, starting tomorrow, you've earned another week in the stables."

Ezekiel sighed and went off to do something else for the party.

Nell frowned after him. "Serves him right," she murmured.

"Indeed it does," Robert agreed. "I also know about your sister's laryngitis. Is there anything Aleena or I can get for her?"

"Maybe some tea later on," Nell suggested.

"That can be arraigned," Robert smiled, patting Madeline on the head.

"Stop it! You big mean boy Jack!" Gabby yelled, alerting Nell to turn around. "You leave Elena a loan!"

"Gabby what's wrong?" Sabrina asked, taking her hand.

"I think she thinks that Ezekiel is teasing Elena," Nell said as she knelt by Gabby's side. "It's okay, Gab-Gab. We had a little problem with him just now, but King Robert took care of it."

"Auntie Madeline okay?" Gabby asked.

"She'll be fine, sweetheart," Robert assured her, patting her head. "She just needs to ease up on the singing for a while. But if she needs to do an encore, perhaps you could sing the song and she could do the motions."

Gabby smiled. She had seen Madeline doing the motions to the song a few times whenever she sang the song, and she learned them that way. Madeline had been pleasantly surprised to see her dancing along with her.

"We can all sing the song for you, Maddie, and Gabby can do the motions," Nell suggested.

"Yeah!" Gabby agreed. She frowned, looking at Elena. "But Mommy, Elena likes to flap when we do the motions."

"I know," Nell muttered with a smile.

"Elena, you okay?" Madeline whispered, seeing her niece in tears, provoking anger in her mind at seeing a group of children surrounding her niece like she was a freak.

"I bad girl?" Elena asked, since she had heard everything.

"No, sweetheart, you're not bad at all," Nell murmured, picking her up and hugging her. "And don't worry. We'll think of a way to cover your flapping so people won't comment."

"I flap during the song?" Elena asked.

"Like I said, we'll think of something so you can sing with Auntie Madeline and flap so people won't say anything,"

Nell assured her with a smile. "The last thing we need is little brats teasing you."

"What brat mean?" Elena asked in confusion.

"It's one of the many words grown ups use for bad children," Bobby Lee explained quickly, seeing Nell's embarrassment.

"I brat?" Elena asked with a frown.

"No, of course not," Bobby Lee said as he picked her up. "Children who tease you and make comments about you are brats."

"You're not a brat, Love Bug," Nell agreed. "I'm sorry I taught you that word."

"It's okay, Mommy," Elena smiled. "I not use it unless I see Jack?"

"Or any mean person who teases you," Bobby Lee agreed. He saw Nell's disapproving look and added quickly, "Or not at all, since you don't want to be like them."

"That's what I thought you said," Nell smirked.

"Sing now?" Gabby asked, jumping up and down.

"Why are you rushing Gabby?" Sofia asked in surprise.

"Auntie Madeline can't talk too good," Gabby explained with a frown.

"Can't I sing just a little?" Madeline asked Nell in a whisper.

"Not right now, since I think you should take it easy," Nell murmured. "Maybe in a few minutes, but only if you feel up to it. You don't want your voice to hurt any more than it already does."

"Good idea," Madeline admitted. She noticed the bag of treats Nell held out to her. "You got me extra treats!"

"As promised, little Butterfly," Nell smiled. "But if I may make a suggestion, open this one first." She held out a little wrapped package.

Madeline opened it and smiled. "That's so cute!" she whispered, holding up a ginger-colored plush cat.

"There's an interesting story behind that one, and only if you feel up to it, Sandra and I will let you see the house who gives out treats like that," Nell smiled.

"Maybe we can see it before we go home," Madeline whispered.

"Yes, and I want to tell Florence and Bianca about this other house we went to, and the lady who lives there who shares their love of needlework," Nell smiled.

"I think they've already met," Sandra motioned toward Mona, who was talking to Florence and Bianca.

"They seem to be getting along," Nell smirked before hugging Madeline close.

"Buzz! Buzz!" Gabby yelled, running around the room.

"Tweet! Tweet!" Elena followed, flapping her hands.

"No, girls, I think you're a little too young to sing about the birds and the bees!" Bobby Lee smirked.

"Robert Lee Johnson, you're as bad as James!" Nell tried to frown, but she couldn't help but laugh.

"It's one of the many reasons you love me, right?" Bobby Lee smiled as he gave her a plate of cookies.

"Yes, and this is another one," Nell smiled.

"Tweet! Tweet!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands excitedly.

"Tweet! Tweet!" A child mocked, having Elena stop in her tracks.

She feared that Jack somehow had come to where she was, closing her eyes in an attempt to block him out.

"No Jack! No Jack!" Elena wailed, running out of the room.

Nell turned to see a little boy about as old as Jack standing next to her, and imitating Elena's flapping. "Birdie girl! Birdie girl!" the little boy giggled.

"Come with me," Nell held her hand out. "Where are your parents?"

"Come with me, Nell; I have a better way," Sandra led them to the front of the room. When there was a lull in the music, Nell and the boy stood together while Sandra called, "Your attention, please! Does this boy belong to anyone?"

"Birdie girl!" The little boy continued with a smirk.

"Little brat," Nell muttered under her breath. "If I could, I would give you more than just a timeout!"

"Excuse me, Princess Sandra," a man and his wife came forward. "That's our son. We wondered where he went."

"Birdie girl!" the boy giggled.

"That's enough, Aaron," the woman scolded. She turned to Nell. "I know a simple 'I'm sorry' won't fix what our son did, but hopefully it's a start."

"She flaps like a birdie! Birdie girl!" Aaron shouted.

"That's enough! Aaron, we're leaving," his father scolded. "We'll discuss your punishment when we get home. And we'll allow you to keep one of your Halloween treats for yourself. The rest will go to that sweet little girl."

"Thank you..." Nell trailed off.

"Maxwell Kelly, ma'am," Aaron's father introduced himself. "and this is my wife Ariana. Our son's always had a problem with bullying, but we didn't know how bad it was until right now."

"Believe me from the times my little girl has cried, I've been used to sorry from parents," Nell sighed with a smile.

"How many times?" Maxwell asked in surprise.

"Millions of times," Sabrina answered with a frown.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that from either of us," Ariana assured her, Maxwell nodding at her side. "I have no idea where Aaron gets it, because we certainly don't act like that, and neither do our friends."

Aaron pouted as he handed his candy bag over to Nell and followed after his parents.

"Now all we have to do is find Elena," Nell sighed.

"She's probably with Kitty in Sandra's room," Sabrina suggested. "Let's find Sandra, then we'll talk to Elena."

"Right," Nell agreed. "Sandra!"

Sandra came over and after they explained what had gone on, she went with Nell, Sabrina, and Gabby to find Elena.

And much to Sabrina's surprise, she had been correct with Elena in Sandra's room surrounded by stuffed kitties with Ambre nuzzling against her.

"Go home!" Elena wailed, seeing Nell and Sabrina. "Party bad! People mean!"

"And make Auntie Madeline sad?" Nell asked in surprise.

"Yes. No mean people," Elena sniffed, hugging Kitty close. "You no call me birdie! You no like them!"

"The mean boy's parents took him home," Nell murmured as she took Elena in her arms and started rocking her. "You don't have to think about him anymore."

"And his mommy and daddy made him give you all his candy," Sabrina added.

"Why boys mean?" Elena asked.

"That's one of the biggest mysteries of all time," Sandra said as she sat next to her. "The only boy a girl can depend on is her daddy."

"What about King? Or Mister Magic Man? Or James?" Elena asked.

"Well, there are some exceptions to that," Sandra admitted.

"Some boys can be nice," Sabrina admitted with a smile. "Others well if you think just Jack was bad Elena, it will only get worse."

"She's right," Nell agreed before stroking Elena's hair. "But you don't need to worry about that now."

"Home?" Elena asked with a sniff.

"Not for a few more days, Love Bug," Nell murmured, "But you don't have to worry about that mean boy anymore. We won't see him again."

"Promise?" Elena asked.

"I promise," Nell murmured as she hugged her.

"Okay, I think that's enough of this kind of talk," Sandra spoke up, "Elena, do you want to come back to the party and help Madeline sing her song?"

"I flap during the song," Elena admitted.

"We'll just let people think you're moving your hands like Elsa does," Sabrina assured her.

Elena paused, then she smiled. "Okay. Let's sing Elsa song!"

Elena started running out of the room, not before setting her kitties up in a row as Nell smiled.

She loved Elena's caring personality, even if every animal, person or toy didn't seem right to the little girl at first.

"Elsa! Elsa!" Elena giggled before bumping into Madeline. "Auntie Madeline sad?"

"I heard about what happened with that boy," Madeline whispered. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you, Elena."

"Your health is more important than people's comments, Madeline," Nell murmured. "You couldn't have known what he was doing or saying."

"I'm also sorry about how I acted before," Madeline whispered, "I never meant to be so mean to Elena."

Nell smiled as she pulled her sister into a hug. "Maddie, don't think about it anymore. We forgave you for that a long time ago. Like with James and how he used to act until he got Jagger, you've come a long way too. You help Elena when she needs it, you work on her feelings puzzle with her, you try to help her when she has a meltdown...but in the future, leave those to me and Bobby Lee!"

Madeline quietly laughed along with her as they entered the ballroom again. They looked around, and Aaron and his family were gone.

Elena sighed happily at the realization of him being gone. Now she could help her aunt with singing so she couldn't lose her voice.

"Mommy too?" Gabby asked with a smile.

"Why? Because I'm dressed as Anna?" Nell joked with a smile.

"Elsa and Anna sing together," Elena cheered.

"For the first time in forever, yes we do!" Nell sang as she spun Elena around.

"We'll help you too, Madeline," Sabrina smiled.

Madeline beamed, hugging her family tightly as Elena and Gabby squirmed.

"Let them go!" Bobby Lee chuckled with a smile. "We don't need them to be snow do we?"

"No!" Madeline laughed softly, jumping up and down.

"Good!" Nell smirked, kissing her cheek. "Come on you'll be great."

Madeline smiled. She saw James come up and hand her a bottle of water. "Just in case," he added as he turned away.

"Oh, no," Bobby Lee grinned as he caught his shoulder, "If you come up here to help Madeline, you have to sing with us!"

James gave a playful pout, but he said, "Okay. Anything to help Madeline."

"That's right," Nell smiled as she hugged him.

"James sing too!" Elena cheered, clapping her hands.

"Sing! Sing!" Gabby giggled, jumping up and down.

"Helping Madeline will be good for us," Nell smirked, hearing the music start.

"Really?" Madeline whispered with a frown. "If I haven't used it so much while you were gone..."

"Don't worry, Maddie, we'll help you," James assured her.

"Didn't Amber help you when you lost your voice?" Nell asked.

"She sang the parts I was supposed to do as well as hers," James admitted, "I was practicing so much, and I did her parts as well as mine, just in case she started crying during the song, but she ended up doing the whole thing when I ran off."

"But then you sang the whole song as the Secret Singer," Nell agreed. "And you did a wonderful job!"

Elena and Gabby were a little confused with Nell's words before remembering that day.

Elena hadn't been feeling well, having to stay home as Gabby watched James' performance.

When he got unmasked, she had cried, upset with how some people who couldn't handle James being a singer.

A secret one if she could recall correctly.

Elena recalled that James had run into her room when he got home, and hugged her as he cried. Elena didn't know what was going on, but she hugged him as the family came in and learned his secret. They encouraged him to sing, telling him that his birth mother had never held him to what he'd said about never singing again, and he unmasked himself the next night. Now, he was singing in his room with his door open, and around the castle, and the family couldn't be happier.

They were brought back from their remembering when Bobby Lee said, "Are you guys going to sing or what?"

"And just like that, Bobby Lee, up you come too!" Nell grinned, dragging him up on the stage.

Bobby Lee smiled as he started the music again, since they'd all been talking amongst themselves or thinking of other things and missed the intro.

The girls grinned at each other as Madeline began the opening lead.

Though her voice was sore, Madeline tried her hardest before feeling a little squeak escape from her throat.

Thankfully, nobody even noticed that anything was wrong, since Nell, Sabrina and Gabby joined her. Madeline smiled as she spun Elena, who flapped her hands a little. Fortunately, those who were close to the stage just thought Elena was imitating Elsa's ice powers.

The performance got a standing ovation, and Nell went to get Madeline some tea for her throat. "Okay, Queen Elsa, it's way past time for you to rest," she smiled as she hugged her.

"I think you're right," Madeline whispered as she nursed the tea her sister gave her.

"And it's bedtime for my little namesake!" Princess Elena chuckled, seeing Elena yawn before picking her up. "Come on Elena, let's get you back to Avalor."

"Will there be kitties there?" Elena asked sleepily, snuggling close to Princess Elena's chest.

"Yes. Even baby ones," Princess Elena assured, humming My Time in Elena's ear.

"Kitty time..." Elena murmured as she fell asleep.

"That's right," Princess Elena smiled, "The jaquins will carry you to dreamland." As she followed Nell and Madeline, she hummed the same lullaby she had sung to her cousin Esteban when he had turned into a baby.

"She going to be so upset in a few days," Nell muttered with a smile. "You're her favorite." She smirked, remembering a letter Sofia had received recently. "Every time Sofia gets a letter from you, Elena yells 'Read me!' so she can listen to all of your adventures."

"I'm not surprised," Princess Elena smirked, putting Elena down. "I did give her Kitty when she was about a couple months old."

"She's never put Kitty down since. She looks up to you so much," Nell smiled as she tucked Elena in. "She told me she wants to be like you when she grows up."

"Well perfect!" Princess Elena laughed, seeing Elena cuddle Kitty close. "She'll probably beg you to come to Avalor this winter too!"

"Do not encourage her!" Nell smirked, leading the crown princess of Avalor out of the room.

A few days had passed and like Nell had unfortunately predicted, Elena was upset, hugging Princess Elena's legs in an attempt to have her stay.

"Sweetheart, how about if you visit me in Avalor one of these days?" Princess Elena suggested. "I know you'd love riding the jaquins with me, and they'd love meeting you."

"Really?" Elena asked.

"Of course," Princess Elena smiled. "Jaquins are, after all, like a giant Kitty. And since Kitty loves you so much, they'll feel the same way." She turned to Robert, Patricia, Zoe, and Sandra. "You know you're welcome to visit as well."

"I think we'll take you up on that offer, Princess," Robert smiled.

"You had me at giant kitties," Sandra grinned.

"I read about Avalor just after Sofia and the rest of the Royal family had come back from there the first time," Nell admitted with a smile. "I was heavily pregnant with the girls at the time and that meant bed rest. I didn't like bed rest but reading the history of Avalor, cheered me up a little."

"We didn't like it either," Madeline said softly as Elena got off Princess Elena's legs. "We couldn't play with you like we used to."

"But you loved hearing the stories," Nell smiled, "Just like Elena asks to hear about Princess Elena's adventures every day with her letters, you and Sabrina wanted to hear about the stories of Avalor all the time."

"You're a great storyteller, Nell," Sabrina smiled.

Thank you, Sabrina. I don't think I'm up to James' level of storytelling, but I try," Nell smirked.

"Avalor now?" Elena asked with a smile.

"Love Bug, don't you want to go home?" Bobby Lee asked with a smirk. "Don't you want to talk to Snow White with your pendant?"

"Kitty talks?" Elena asked in surprise, trying her best not to flap. "I wanna hear Snow White!"

"She'll be so surprised when she finds out that you can understand each other now," Nell smiled, "But the two of you will have so much to talk about."

"Jaggy talks too?" Elena asked.

"Well, that pendant of yours lets you hear and talk to all animals, not just Snow White and Ambre, so yes, Jagger will talk to you too," James agreed.

Elena couldn't contain her excitement anymore, running towards the carriage and trying to get in the driver's seat.

With the driver of the carriage in the seat, she climbed into his lap.

"Bye bye!" Elena giggled from where she was, waving excitedly.

"Well, someone's in a hurry to get to Avalor," Bobby Lee chuckled as he took her down again. "Sweetheart, Roland said we'll be leaving for home tomorrow. Don't you want to see Snow White first and talk to her?"

"And while you're here for another day, you know you can talk to Ambre as much as you want," Sandra agreed.

"Yay!" Elena cheered, jumping up and down and flapping her hands. This time she knew it was all right to do that, since everyone was used to it, and Ezekiel wasn't there to say anything.

"Just don't talk too much," Madeline smiled, messing up Elena's hair a little. "You don't want Ambre to lose his voice do you?"

"No!" Elena shrieked, feeling Madeline's hands at her sides. "Auntie Madeline mean!"

"No I'm not!" Madeline laughed, smirking a little. "You're ticklish aren't you?"

"Mommy!" Elena shrieked.

"Alright, you two, break it up," Nell smiled as she picked up Elena. "Since we have one more day here, what would you like to do?"

"Play with kitties and um be with you?" Elena asked with a smile.

"You can play with kitties," Nell smiled, kissing her cheek. "And you can be with me after I'm with Daddy."

"What you do?" Gabby asked with a smile. "Play games?"

"Kind of Gab Gab," Bobby Lee smirked, hugging his wife close. "The garden is our favorite place to play."

"Okay!" Gabby smiled.

"Okay!" Elena echoed. "Kitty party!"

"You two go ahead and get your kitty party started, and we'll be with you later," Nell smiled as she and Bobby Lee went off.

"Let's have tea with Ambre!" Gabby giggled.

Yeah. Gabby, Sandra has the same kitty tea set we have!" Elena agreed, recalling the pieces of the tea set she'd seen in Sandra's room before.

"And you know you're welcome to borrow it," Sandra said from where she'd been watching them. "I'll bring it out to you and meet you in the stables with Ambre in a few minutes. You don't have to worry about Zeke being in there today!"

"Thank you!" Elena and Gabby called.

Remembering how to get there from the sounds of the animals, Elena and Gabby walked to the stables but not before stopping at the garden.

"Is that a game?" Elena asked in confusion, seeing Nell and Bobby Lee in a passionate hug with their mommy's hair down in long wavy locks.

"For grown ups I guess," Gabby muttered with a smile before hearing a small crash and their parents laughing.

"We got kitty party!" Elena giggled, grabbing Gabby's hand as she dragged her to the stables.

Zoe and Sandra were waiting for the girls when they arrived. "Hi, Elena, Gabby," Sandra greeted them. "Zoe wanted to see what was going to happen at the party too. And as promised, you get to meet our barn cats."

Elena smiled as a black-and-white tomcat nuzzled her. "Hi!" she giggled.

"That's Soldier," Sandra explained. "He belongs to one of our knights, and he's Ambre's adoptive godfather."

"Who else here?" Elena asked.

"Well, we have Igor; she's a cat Zeke named," Zoe pointed at a gray she-cat. "And that's Soldier's mate, Majorette."

"And like how Ambre was named Amber first, we thought Majorette was a boy," Sandra added, "So we called her Major. But when the royal vet proved us wrong, I came up with the name Majorette."

"Kitties!" Elena squealed, gathering her new friends up in a hug.

"Careful! Don't hug them for too long!" Sandra warned with a smile.

"Why?" Gabby asked in confusion.

"That's why!" Zoe chuckled softly, seeing Soldier squirming in Elena's arms.

"Sorry!" Elena apologized, putting Soldier down as he nuzzled her.

"It's okay, Elena; sometimes Ambre doesn't like to be held too long either," Zoe assured her.

"We'll let the cats come to us, and we'll just pet them. If they want us to pick them up, they'll let us know," Sandra agreed. "And I should tell you, girls, Soldier and Majorette are going to be parents soon!"

"Yay!" Elena cheered, flapping her hands. "Can their kitties be Elsa, Isa, and Anna?"

"If three of them are girls, I don't see why not," Sandra grinned.


End file.
